In a secret session held by the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Israeli Knesset, the Prime Minister of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, addressed the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, claiming that “the only thing that Hamas wants is not only a deal that ends the war and removes the army from the Strip, but also to return to power,” stressing that his army “will not withdraw from the Strip”; as he said, “I am not prepared for that at all,” according to what was reported by the Israeli Channel 7.

Regarding the prisoner exchange talks between Hamas and the occupation, which have been frozen for a long time, he noted during the committee meeting that he "ordered financial grants of 5 million US dollars to anyone who provides information about the prisoners and their places of detention." He added, criticizing the demonstrations against his government, that "Hamas sees the pressure in Israel and thinks it will get more." Addressing the Labor MK, Merav Michaeli, who is participating in the protests, he said, "Ask yourself how you can increase the pressure on Hamas and not on us."

In a separate context, Netanyahu addressed in the same session the operation to blow up pagers that Israel carried out last September in Lebanon, which injured thousands of Hezbollah members, noting that "there were those within the cabinet who strongly rejected carrying out the operation without coordination with the Americans." He added that "regarding the issue of the agreement in the north, our conditions for such an agreement are freedom of Israeli military action, that Hezbollah not grow even (in the areas located) beyond the Litani, and preventing the supply of weapons to it through smuggling via Syria."

In addition, the Prime Minister of the occupation government addressed the issue of humanitarian aid in Gaza, noting that "I have instructed, until next Thursday, to submit plans to find an alternative for distributing aid."

Smotrich calls again for occupation of northern Gaza

For his part, the Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense, extremist Bezalel Smotrich, said that "if Hamas refuses to release the kidnapped, then we must occupy the northern Gaza Strip and remain there forever." He stressed in his statements, which were reported by "Yedioth Ahronoth" and which he made during the opening of the "Religious Zionism" faction meeting in the Knesset, that "the freedom of military action of the army in Lebanon and Gaza is a condition that cannot be waived, and we will not accept any other agreement that does not include that."