JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel’s experience this past week after the murder of six hostages, including American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin as days of horror, sorrow, and rage.
In a sometimes emotional press conference Wednesday, Netanyahu said he’s willing to negotiate to free the hostages, but making concessions to Hamas is a non-starter.
“I’m willing to make a deal. I made one already, one that brought back 150 hostages, 117 alive,” he stated. “And I’m committed to return the remaining 101. I’ll do everything I can to get them in. But leaving Philadelphi (Corridor) does not advance the release of the hostages.”
The prime minister explained in detail Israel’s history with Gaza and the Philadelphi Corridor over decades. The corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has been Hamas’ lifeline for war, yet Netanyahu is under tremendous pressure to leave it.
He claimed he was already willing to make a deal in May, and again in August, but Hamas refused. By his reckoning, the only thing that changed was the Hamas murder of Israeli hostages.
“Now, the world will seriously demand that Israel make concessions after this massacre. What message does that send to Hamas?” he asked. “I’ll tell you what the message is: murder more
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