A Hostage Deal Would Put Goal of Toppling Hamas at Risk – But Not Out of Reach

Winfield Myers

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), National Unity head Benny Gantz (right).

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in his Jerusalem office with the families of hostages held by Hamas. They pressed the premier to define the return of their loved ones as the primary aim of the war in Gaza, a demand he refused.

The rallying cry of those demonstrating and working on behalf of the hostages makes a similar demand: “Bring them home NOW!” they insist.

Instead, as he has done since October 7, Netanyahu continues to maintain in no uncertain terms that Israel will not stop fighting until it achieves both of its primary war aims — to destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza, as well as to bring all hostages home. (He later added a third goal — ensuring that Gaza can never again be used as a platform for launching attacks against Israel.)

Read the full article at the Times of Israel.

Lazar Berman is the Times of Israel‘s diplomatic reporter and a Middle East Forum Writing Fellow.

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.
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