Netanyahu says 'getting rid' of Hamas leaders can end war, hostage families say he's the obstacle
The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza said Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the chief obstacle to freeing the captives, shortly after he accused Hamas's leaders of prolonging the war.
"The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the... hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, referring to Israel's recent strike on a meeting of Hamas members in the Gulf state.
"Every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it," they added.
Earlier in the evening, the premier had said eliminating Hamas's leaders in Qatar would bring an end to the war, accusing the group of derailing past efforts to secure a ceasefire.
"The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don't care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war," he said on X.
"Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war."
The forum, however, characterized the accusation as Netanyahu's latest "excuse" for failing to bring home the captives.
"The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power," the forum said.
"This stalling... threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving after nearly two years in captivity, as well as the recovery of those who have died."
Palestinian militants led by Hamas abducted 251 people during their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Forty-seven of the captives are still held in Gaza, including 25 the military says are dead.
Thousands of Israelis massed in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling on the government to end the war and strike a deal to return hostages, an AFP correspondent reported.
16 September 2025, 03:52
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Times of Israel Netanyahu admits Israel is economically isolated, will need to become self-reliant Freiberg and Sam Sokol 15 September 2025, 4:17 pm
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admits that Israel is facing increasing economic isolation as the war in Gaza drags on and will have to become more self-reliant.
“Israel is in a sort of isolation,” he says at a conference of the Finance Ministry’s accountant general in Jerusalem, and may have to move toward a self-sufficient economy.
“We will increasingly need to adapt to an economy with autarkic characteristics [without foreign trade],” he says. “The word I most hate. I am a supporter of the free market, but we may find ourselves in a situation where our arms industries are blocked. We will need to develop arms industries here — not only research and development, but also the ability to produce what we need.”By Nava
16 September 2025, 04:01
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Netanyahu says that he believes Israel can exit this isolation, but blames mass migration to Europe of Muslim immigrants for “bending the governments” in an anti-Israel direction and leading them to cancel defense deals with the Jewish state.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid slams Netanyahu after his comments.
“Netanyahu’s statement that Israel is entering isolation and needs to adapt to an isolation economy is a crazy statement. Isolation is not a decree of fate, it is the product of a wrong and failed policy of Netanyahu and his government,” says Lapid. “They are turning Israel into a third-world country and are not even trying to change the situation.”
