Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the victory over Hamas as a more important goal in the Gaza war than the return of the hostages, according to Israeli media reports on Thursday.
The release of the abductees is “a very important goal, but there is a superior goal,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel and other outlets.
“The supreme objective is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve,” he said at an event to mark Israel’s Independence Day.
According to the Israeli authorities, 24 hostages and 35 bodies of abductees are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
Relatives of the hostages have long accused Netanyahu of jeopardizing the lives of the abductees with the military operation to destroy Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist group.
The mother of one of the abductees reportedly reacted indignantly to Netanyahu’s comments, saying she herself now wanted to overthrow Netanyahu in order to get her son back.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, whose motto is “Bring them home now,” reacted with shock to the comments.
The return of the abductees should be no less important, and also a top priority for the Israeli government, it said in a statement.