Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit Tuesday to central Gaza to send a message: that Hamas will not return to power in the territory, and that there will be a heavy price to pay for any harm to hostages.
Netanyahu’s visit came even as the focus in the region is on Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah are said to be near an agreement in their ongoing war there, which began when Hezbollah fired on Israeli communities in October 2023.
The Times of Israel reported:
Visiting the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows that Hamas will not rule the Strip and that anyone who harms Israeli hostages will pay a heavy price.
Netanyahu says that IDF troops in Gaza have “achieved excellent results toward our important goal — that Hamas will not rule in Gaza. We are destroying its military capabilities in a very impressive manner, and we are moving on to its ruling capabilities… Hamas will not be in Gaza.”
Netanyahu toured the area alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.
Netanyahu also reiterated an offer to pay $5 million to anyone in Gaza who turns over an Israeli hostage. There are 101 Israeli hostages still in captivity, some two-thirds of whom are thought to be alive.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
