Netanyahu: Military Pressure on Hamas Is Working as Gaza War Intensifies

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s military pressure on Hamas is proving effective as his security cabinet is deciding whether to increase operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Amid widespread protests over his government’s handling of Hamas hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu told his cabinet that “military pressure is working.”

“It works because it acts simultaneously,” he said at his weekly cabinet meeting. “On the one hand, it crushes Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, and on the other hand, it creates the conditions for the release of our hostages. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”

“We are committed to bringing the hostages back, and we are working to bring the hostages back. To this day, the combination of military and diplomatic pressure is the only thing that has led to the return of hostages,” Netanyahu continued.

Netanyahu pushed back against what he called three “false claims that are constantly being directed at us in one continuous lie.”

First, Netanyahu refuted the claim that no negotiations are underway to release hostages, saying talks are ongoing while military pressure is applied to force Hamas to comply.

Second, Netanyahu addressed criticism of a proposed ceasefire plan, explaining that it would involve Hamas laying down its weapons, its leaders leaving Gaza, Israeli control over Gaza’s security, and the implementation of the Trump plan for voluntary migration.

“We will ensure overall security in Gaza and enable the implementation of the Trump Plan—voluntary emigration. That’s the plan. We’re not hiding it and are ready to discuss it at any time,” he added.

Finally, Netanyahu rejected the accusation that he doesn’t care about the hostages. “We speak in depth with hostage families and feel their pain, which is immense,” he said, calling the claim “Hamas propaganda.”

Netanyahu says Israel is “committed to bringing back the hostages,” insisting that only “military and diplomatic pressure” has worked — “not all the empty claims and slogans that I hear in the [television] studios from the experts.”

In recent days, Israel has continued airstrikes and limited ground operations in Gaza, but no major expansion of the invasion has occurred.

The government appears to have slowed the offensive—holding up a “yellow light”—to allow time for progress on a potential new hostage deal with Hamas.

​As of March 30, 2025, approximately 59 hostages remain in Hamas’ captivity in Gaza. Israeli authorities estimate that at least 35 of these individuals are deceased. The remaining hostages include both civilians and military personnel.

Efforts to secure their release are ongoing, with recent reports indicating that Hamas has agreed to release five hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire and other concessions.

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