Netanyahu Says Nationwide Strike ‘Distancing the Release of Our Hostages’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – As nationwide strikes and mass protests gripped Israel on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that calls to halt the war in Gaza and press for an immediate hostage deal were undermining Israel’s position and delaying the release of captives held by Hamas.

Opening his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu accused demonstrators of weakening Israel’s negotiating stance and emboldening Hamas.

“Those who call today for ending the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas’s position and distancing the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the atrocities of October 7 will repeat themselves again and again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight again and again in an endless war,” Netanyahu said in remarks released by his office.

The prime minister insisted that only military victory would secure the hostages’ return and prevent future threats: “To make progress on the release of our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel, we must complete the mission and defeat Hamas.”

Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to implement the security cabinet’s decision to conquer Gaza City, describing it as essential to his government’s strategy.

The strike, organized by the October Council—a group representing relatives of hostages, families of victims of the October 7 attack, and survivors—brought daily life to a standstill in parts of Israel.

In Tel Aviv and other cities, demonstrators blocked major roads, including a highway in the capital. Protesters carried Israeli flags alongside yellow banners symbolizing solidarity with hostages.

Families of captives, who initiated what they called a “national day to stop daily life,” voiced growing frustration over the government’s handling of the crisis, demanding an immediate end to the war and serious negotiations for a release deal.

The protests came nearly 22 months into Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which was launched following Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Netanyahu’s remarks drew swift condemnation from hostage families, who accused him of deceiving the public.

In a statement, the Hostages Families Forum, representing the majority of relatives of captives, declared: “Netanyahu, for 22 months the hostages are languishing in Gaza — on your watch. Instead of deceiving the public, disseminating spin and slandering the families of hostages, bring our loved ones back in a deal and end the war.”

The group alleged that the prime minister had repeatedly obstructed opportunities to reach a release agreement. “Today everyone in Israel already knows that there were many opportunities to bring the hostages back. The one who torpedoed, rejected, and avoided [a deal] is the one who raised the price,” the statement read.

Netanyahu reiterated that Hamas continues to reject Israel’s conditions for ending the war, which include the militant group’s full disarmament and long-term enforcement of Gaza’s demilitarization.

“We insist not only that Hamas be disarmed, but also that Israel enforce the demilitarization of the Strip over time through continuous action against any attempt at rearmament or organization by any terror group,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border and the surrounding security perimeter. “This would allow Hamas to regroup, rearm, and attack us again,” Netanyahu warned.

The general strike underscored a deepening divide in Israeli society, as citizens demand accountability from their leadership and press for the release of hostages, while the government insists that defeating Hamas must precede any deal.

As protests intensify and political tensions mount, the fate of those held captive in Gaza remains at the center of Israel’s national debate, caught between the demands of grieving families and Netanyahu’s insistence on military victory.