Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened „Hamas“ with unimaginable consequences if it does not release the hostages it has been holding since October 7, 2023, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
"I tell „Hamas“ – "If you don't release our hostages, there will be consequences you can't imagine," he told Israeli lawmakers.
However, he was booed during the plenary session, in particular by relatives of the hostages who were present in the plenary hall and who were eventually escorted out by security.
These warnings from Netanyahu to “Hamas“ came at a time when the fate of the Gaza ceasefire remains unclear after its first phase expired on March 1.
Yesterday, the Israeli government stopped humanitarian supplies to Gaza, which prompted criticism from the UN and Arab countries.
Today, Israeli government spokesman David Menser said that “Hamas“ had hoarded so much food in Gaza that it could cause an obesity epidemic. The spokesman added that this food and supplies had been stockpiled for months and that no one was suffering from hunger in “Hamas“.
Netanyahu also told lawmakers today that it was time to give Gazans the freedom to leave the enclave, AFP reported.
He had previously welcomed US President Donald Trump's vision for the Gaza Strip. The vision includes the Palestinians leaving the enclave and has been criticized by Arab leaders and the international community.
"With the war in Gaza, the rich left, but the poor remained and are subject to the rule of “Hamas“, which exploits them for its own purposes,“ Netanyahu warned today. “It is time to give Gazans a real choice. "It is time to give them the freedom to leave," the Israeli leader said, without going into details.
At the same time, the "Jerusalem Post" reports that relatives of the victims of October 7, 2023, clashed with security guards outside the parliament, and at least two people were injured. During the clashes, a man who lost his son at the music festival attacked by "Hamas" lost a creature, adds "Haaretz", quoted by DPA.
At the same time, a meeting of Arab foreign ministers began in Cairo on the situation in Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported. It is taking place behind closed doors and the ministers are discussing an Egyptian-Arab plan for the reconstruction of the enclave from the war that lasted there for 15 months. The plan is expected to be adopted by Arab leaders at their summit in Cairo tomorrow.