Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed this Thursday, October 16, his determination to obtain the return of all the remains of hostages held by Hamas, a day after threats from his Defense Minister, Israel Katz, to resume the offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel accused the Palestinian Islamist movement of violating the ceasefire agreement under which it had to hand over all hostages held in Gaza, the living and the dead, within 72 hours of the ceasefire coming into effect, or no later than 9 a.m. Monday.
The Hostage Families Forum called on “the Israeli government to immediately stop implementing any additional steps of the agreement, as Hamas continues to blatantly violate its obligations” regarding the return of all remains.
“The fight is not over yet”
Hamas released all 20 live hostages in time, but since Monday it has only handed over nine hostage remains of the 28 it is holding.
“We are determined to obtain the return of all the hostages,” said Benjamin Netanyahu during the official commemoration of the second anniversary of the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 on Israeli soil, which sparked the war.
“The fight is not over yet, but one thing is clear: anyone who raises their hand against us knows they will pay a very high price,” he warned.
“If Hamas refuses to respect the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act for a total defeat” of the movement, the Israeli Defense Minister warned on Wednesday.
Hamas said the same day it had handed over the remains of the hostages it could access in the Gaza Strip and said it needed “special equipment” to recover the other bodies.
Source: BFM TV
