The families of Israeli prisoners held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza said today (Friday) that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to sacrifice the kidnapped at the expense of continuing the fighting.

The families said in a statement, "Benjamin Netanyahu's government decided to sacrifice the abductees and prefers the continuation of the fighting to achieving the goal of liberating them."

The statement accused Netanyahu of "preferring his political interests over his national duty," noting that "the kidnappers and the entire country are his hostages."

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has been waging a large-scale military campaign on the Gaza Strip that left more than 36,000 Palestinians dead in response to a surprise attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel, which resulted in the killing of 1,200 people and the taking of more than 200 hostages.

Israel estimates that there are about 134 Israeli detainees in Gaza, at a time when Hamas announced that 70 of them were killed in random Israeli raids.

The state-owned Israeli Broadcasting Authority (KAN) reported that Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi met yesterday (Thursday) with the families of the prisoners.

Hanegbi told the families of the prisoners that the current government will not stop the war in Gaza in exchange for the return of all the hostages, but rather will continue fighting until there is no other October 7.