Netanyahu: Hamas showing ‘cracks’ under Israeli pressure
Israeli military pressure “is working” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in remarks at the beginning of Sunday’s Security Cabinet meeting.
Israeli Prime Minister during a press conference in Jerusalem on Dec. 9, 2024. Photo by GPO/TPS-IL
“It works because it acts simultaneously. On the one hand, it crushes Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, and on the other hand, it creates the conditions for the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said.
He stressed that forcing Hamas to negotiate under fire is effective, saying, “We see that there are suddenly cracks.”
Netanyahu said Israel was open to discussing “the final stage” of a potential hostage deal.
“We are ready. Hamas will lay down its weapons. Its leaders will be allowed to go out. We will ensure general security in the Gaza Strip and enable the implementation of the Trump plan, the voluntary immigration plan,” Netanyahu said.
Regarding tensions with Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel holds Beirut responsible for cross-border attacks. On Friday morning, two rockets were fired at the Upper Galilee from Lebanon, the first rocket fire since a ceasefire went into effect in November. Israel retaliated by striking a drone facility in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The Prime Minister also thanked the United States for its military action against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, calling it “a big change.”
On Sunday morning, the Houthis fired a missile, triggering sirens in central Israel and the Tel Aviv area. Air defences shot down the missile before it reached Israeli territory, but shrapnel landed in areas of the country’s centre.
One woman fell into a ditch while making her way to a shelter in the Tel Aviv area.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
