Israelâs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said $5m will be given as a reward for each captive released from Gaza and those that help free Israelis held by Hamas will be given a way out of the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu announced the reward offer during a brief visit to Gaza on Tuesday where he was shown the Israeli militaryâs Netzarim Corridor â a key access road and buffer zone constructed by Israelâs army to dissect northern Gaza from the southern part.
âTo those who want to leave this entanglement, I say: Whoever brings us a hostage, will find a safe way out for himself and his family. We will also give $5m for every hostage,â Netanyahu said during his brief visit to the Palestinian territory.
âThe choice is yours but the result will be the same: We will bring them all back,â he said.
Israel estimates that 101 captives remain in Gaza, though around one-third of that number are now believed to have died.
Netanyahuâs reward offer comes as mass protests continue in Israel by families of captives and their supporters who are demanding that the prime minister reach a ceasefire deal with Hamas that would see their loved ones freed.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that a military option is the only way to free all the captives and Israelâs war on Gaza will continue until that objective has been achieved.
Families of the captives have accused the Netanyahu government of not doing enough to reach a ceasefire deal while a former aide to Netanyahu has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified materials to foreign media in an apparent bid to scuttle an earlier truce deal with Hamas.
Analysts say Netanyahu has continually torpedoed a possible end to fighting in Gaza as it would likely lead to the collapse of his far-right and ultranationalist government as well as the launch of an official investigation into the security failures by Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in the run-up to the Hamas attack on October 7. Netanyahu is also under investigation for corruption.
Hamas has long accused Israeli ceasefire negotiators of not being serious about reaching an agreement to end the fighting in Gaza.
Describing the Israeli military as âdoing a wonderful jobâ in Gaza, Netanyahu said on Tuesday that under no circumstances would Hamas return to govern the Palestinian territory.
âHere, in the central Gaza Strip and throughout the Gaza Strip, they have achieved excellent results,â Netanyahu said, according to a statement released by his office.
âAnd the best is yet to come. Hamas will no longer exist in Gaza,â he said.
Last week, a UN special committee investigating Israelâs war on Gaza said Israelâs policies displayed the characteristics of genocide and accused the country of âusing starvation as a method of warâ against Palestinian civilians in the territory.
Israel had inflicted âmass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditionsâ for Palestinians, the committee said.
âSince the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life â food, water, and fuel.â
Israelâs war on the territory has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 104,000 others.
Advertisement
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.676.0_en.html#goog_304384337Play Video
Video Duration 2 minutes 58 seconds2:58
Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies meeting in Rio de Janeiro also called for âcomprehensiveâ ceasefires in Gaza on Monday.
In a statement, the leaders expressed âdeep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situationâ in Gaza as well as concern over the âescalation in Lebanonâ, calling for a ceasefire enabling âcitizens to return safely to their homesâ in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.