From the perspective of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the number of remaining hostages justifies Israel’s massive military action in the Gaza Strip.
When asked in an interview with US broadcaster ABC News how many hostages were still alive to Netanyahu’s knowledge, he replied: “I think enough to justify the efforts we are making.” Israel is doing its best to bring back all the living hostages, Netanyahu said, “and, frankly, the bodies too.” But he won’t go into that in more detail.
The two goals of defeating Hamas and saving the lives of the hostages are not mutually exclusive, Netanyahu said. Military pressure has led to 110 hostages being freed. “It requires pressure. The pressure worked. And the pressure will work again.”
Number of alive hostages unclear
There are currently 136 people in the control of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, but according to the Israeli military, at least around 30 of them are no longer alive. According to media reports, the number of people killed could now be as high as 50. Israel officially only declares dead those whose deaths it has certain information about – in which case it then notifies the families.
Many relatives accuse Netanyahu of torpedoing negotiations led by international mediators that are supposed to lead to a ceasefire in the war with Hamas and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Netanyahu said he wasn’t sure anyone could empathize with the families. “But the families also cannot put themselves in the shoes of the decision-makers. These are two different things.”
Israeli plans for a military offensive on the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people have sought protection, have met with international criticism in recent days.
Terrorists from Hamas and other groups killed 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 during their attack on Israel on October 7th. Since then, Israel’s military has launched massive air strikes and a ground offensive against Hamas and its allies in the Gaza Strip.
