Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly charged on Monday that a one-day general strike during which hundreds of thousands of Israelis called for the government to seal a hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza was “a disgrace” that in effect showed support for the Hamas terror group.
The strike, called by the Histadrut labor federation on Sunday after the Israel Defense Forces recovered the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, took place on Monday amid growing anger at Netanyahu and his government over their insistence on pressing Israeli demands in talks with the Palestinian terror group.
The strike was halted by a court order on Monday afternoon, though the Hostages and Missing Families Forum encouraged the public to continue the demonstrations.
“It’s telling [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar — you murdered six people. Here, we support you,” Netanyahu was quoted by Israeli outlets as saying during a cabinet meeting, while vowing that Israel would “exact a price from Hamas for the murder of the hostages.”
The prime minister has reportedly ordered the government to prepare recommendations within 48 hours for a strong response to Hamas over the execution of the six hostages: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Ori Danino, 25, Alex Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Almog Sarusi, 27.
According to quotes published by Hebrew media on Monday, Netanyahu also defended the cabinet’s vote in favor of his position of maintaining an Israeli military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border under any potential deal.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has reportedly called on Netanyahu to reverse the decision, calling it “an unnecessary constraint that we’ve placed on ourselves.”
“We have to stay on the Philadelphia Corridor, it is essential for Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said. “In addition, if we leave it will be difficult for us to return. This is a critical time in the war to maintain the corridor, without which we will not be able to fulfill the goals of the war.”
The prime minister’s insistence on not withdrawing from the Gaza-Egypt border corridor in the first 42-day phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal, in order to prevent Hamas smuggling in arms, has been widely reported to be a key obstacle to a deal.
According to Channel 12, Netanyahu called the Philadelphi Corridor “Hamas’s lifeline,” adding, “I won’t let them rearm and massacre us again. This isn’t merely a diplomatic issue; it’s a strategic, existential issue for the State of Israel.”
“If we withdraw, we won’t [be able to] return there — not for 42 days and not for 42 years,” he was quoted as saying.
Israel declared war and vowed to destroy Hamas’s military and governance capability after October 7, when thousands of terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping 251, mostly civilians, while committing numerous acts of brutality and sexual assault.
Netanyahu said on Monday that in the almost 11 months since, the focus of the campaign has been on destroying Hamas’s military capabilities. Now, he said, “the focus will be the denial of governmental capabilities. There will be a change in food and humanitarian aid distribution.”
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.