Israel remains adamant in the Gaza war. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the armed struggle against Hamas will continue until all hostages are released and Gaza no longer poses a threat.
Israel's right-wing extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich caused an outcry from relatives of the hostages on the same day because he was said to have said that the return of the abducted people was "not the most important thing" at the moment. The main focus must be on destroying Hamas, the minister said.