Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in his speech before the U.S. Congress on Wednesday to achieve a "complete victory" against Hamas and to maintain military pressure until all prisoners are freed.
Netanyahu also boasted about the 135 captives who returned to Israel during the war, saying, "Israel has already returned 135 of these hostages, including seven who were released in daring rescue operations. One of the freed hostages, Noa Argamani, is here, sitting next to my wife, Sara."
Most Captives Were Released Through Prisoner Exchange Deals
Netanyahu’s claims about Israeli captives before Congress made it seem as if they were freed due to military operations. He ignored the fact that the vast majority of these prisoners were released through political negotiations during the ceasefire in late November 2023, although he did state that military pressure on Hamas was the best way to secure their release.
In late November 2023, an agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel through Qatari, Egyptian, and American mediation, whereby Hamas released 105 prisoners, most of them women and children, in exchange for a week-long truce and the release of about 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Bodies of Israeli Captives Found in Gaza
During its ground operations in Gaza, the Israeli army previously found 16 prisoners killed as a result of the aggression on the Gaza Strip and returned their bodies to Israel. In December, the Israeli army killed three Israeli prisoners "by mistake," and their bodies were also returned.
According to the occupation army, Israeli forces were able to free seven prisoners, including four who were freed in a special military operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp last June, during which the occupation committed a massacre, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, which Netanyahu did not mention in his speech.
A joint statement issued by the Israeli army and the General Security Service (Shin Bet) confirmed on Thursday that commando forces recovered the bodies of five Israeli prisoners during an operation in the Khan Yunis area in southern Gaza on Wednesday.
"The bodies of the murdered hostage Maya Goren and the soldiers who were captured by Hamas, First Sergeant (res.) Oren Goldin, First Sergeant Tomer Achimas, and Sergeant Kirill Brodsky, were found in the Khan Yunis area," the document added. "According to reliable intelligence, it turned out that they were killed in the clashes during the attack that took place on October 7, and their bodies were kidnapped for burial in Gaza," the statement explained.
Israeli sources reported that it is believed there are around 111 prisoners in the Gaza Strip, out of 251 people captured by the resistance during the Hamas attack on October 7, including the remains of 39 dead whose deaths were confirmed by the Israeli army.
Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
On October 7, 2023, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, launched a military operation called Al-Aqsa Flood in the Gaza Strip envelope area. The operation included firing thousands of rockets and led to the killing and capture of Israeli soldiers and settlers, and the wounding of others in the storming of settlements. Israel reported that the number of its dead in the attack reached 1,139, in addition to 251 people in captivity.
In retaliation, Israel launched a war on Gaza, killing 39,175 people in the Strip and injuring 90,403 others, with the destruction of infrastructure and targeting of vital establishments such as health and educational facilities.
Netanyahu’s Visit to the U.S.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S. came amid international efforts and demands to stop the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
During his speech before the U.S. Congress, Netanyahu called on Israel and the United States to stand together in an attempt to secure Washington's support for the ongoing war in Gaza. In contrast, leaders and officials in the Palestinian factions described the speech of the head of the occupation government as full of lies and revealing his intention not to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Several news reports also indicated the possibility of an agreement on a deal that would stop the war in Gaza, ahead of upcoming talks between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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