"We are determined to bring them all back," Netanyahu stated, adding: "At the moment, we are trying to obtain the release of half the living and deceased hostages, in return for a 60-day temporary ceasefire." He continued: "At the beginning of the ceasefire, we will begin negotiations for the permanent end to the war. That means a permanent ceasefire. To obtain this, it needs to be done according to the minimum conditions that we set: Hamas puts down its weapons, Gaza is demilitarized, and Hamas no longer has any governing or military capabilities. These are our base conditions."
If the negotiations do not succeed at reaching their goals, Netanyahu noted, Israel will use military force to obtain its goals: "If this isn't obtained in 60 days of negotiations, we will obtain it through other means; with force, the force of our heroic military."
Netanyahu also addressed the length of the war and explained that few militaries have had to contend with such conditions. He stressed that thanks to the soldiers' heroism, Israel managed to damage a substantial part of Hamas's power. "There are still thousands of armed soldiers there, and we want to work with a combination of diplomacy and military force." (Read More)
