Halevi emphasized that this pressure "will lead to the dismantling of Hamas and the return of the hostages. This pressure, and only it, has succeeded in returning many hostages."
"Tomorrow we will mark a hundred days since the beginning of the war. A hundred days in which the hostages are still held in Gaza by the cruel Hamas terrorists. We are operating by all means, most of them covertly, in order to return them and we will continue to do so until we return them all. This task has not yet been completed. I know that every minute has critical significance and we are not indifferent to this. Time is pressing for the return of the hostages and we do not forget for a moment and do not abandon this noble goal.
"To achieve real results, we must continue to operate in enemy territory, not to allow extortion attempts for a ceasefire that seemingly will not bring about real results. We must continue applying pressure and that is exactly what we are doing."
He explained, "The Hamas leadership pins its hopes on a ceasefire, and is convinced that this moment is near. For the extremely just goals, we are determined and persistent. These goals are complex to achieve and will take a long time - we said this from the first moment. To dismantle Hamas, patience is both necessary and essential."