Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge against the Gaza Strip on Thursday after Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli prisoners, despite accusations that his prolonged refusal to negotiate their release led to their deaths.
Hamas handed over the bodies of Shiri Bibas, her two children -- Ariel and Kfir -- and Oded Lifshitz, in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis earlier in the day under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Israel.
The Palestinian resistance group said they were killed in Israeli indiscriminate airstrikes during the 16-month genocide on the enclave.
In his first statement following the handover, Netanyahu, who faces charges of crimes against humanity in Gaza, declared in a statement published by his office that “the voice of our dear ones' blood cries out to us from the ground. It requires us to settle accounts with the depraved murderers – and we will settle accounts with them.”
He said: “Returning these four bodies compels us to ensure that what happened on October 7 never happens again,” suggesting his intent to resume the war on Gaza.
Hamas said Israeli forces were responsible for the deaths of the prisoners by bombing locations where they were held. The group emphasized that it treated captives humanely and attempted to protect them.
It noted that the same Israeli attacks that killed the four prisoners also killed 17,881 Palestinian children in what the group described as Israel’s “criminal bombardment of Gaza.”
“Netanyahu now mourns over the remains of his prisoners, trying to evade responsibility for their deaths,” Hamas said in a statement, accusing him of using the situation for political survival.
Netanyahu’s threats against Gaza come as public anger mounts over the return of Israeli captives in coffins for the first time in the exchange deal.
The backlash forced the prime minister to cancel plans to attend the reception of the remains, fearing the optics of the moment would turn against him, according to media reports
The Israeli opposition has blamed Netanyahu for the deaths, arguing he stalled a prisoner swap for months to avoid jeopardizing his fragile coalition, which includes far-right ministers pushing for the war in Gaza to continue.
The Gaza ceasefire deal took effect last month, halting Israel’s genocidal war that has killed more than 48,300 victims, mostly women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.