After the bodies of six Israeli hostages were discovered in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of systematically sabotaging efforts to reach a ceasefire.
“Whoever kills hostages does not want a deal,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
“This is a difficult day for us,” he said, adding that the heart of the entire nation is torn.
Netanyahu vowed to do everything he could to prevent Hamas from killing more hostages, saying efforts to free the remaining hostages would continue.
But he blamed Hamas, saying the Islamist organization has refused to engage in real negotiations since December. He accused Hamas of rejecting several proposals that he said Israel had agreed to.
However, critics in Israel accuse Netanyahu of undermining efforts to reach a ceasefire for domestic political and personal reasons.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that the Security Cabinet’s decision a few days ago to keep troops between Egypt and Gaza – a key sticking point in the negotiations – should be reversed and called for an emergency cabinet meeting.
