Netanyahu Sparks Uproar After Calling ‘Victory’ the Superior Goal Over Hostage Return
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignited a firestorm of criticism during Israel’s Independence Day celebrations after declaring that winning the war against Hamas is a “superior objective” to retrieving the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
“We have many goals in this war,” Netanyahu said Thursday during the annual International Bible Quiz in Jerusalem. “We want to bring all our hostages home. We’ve brought back so far 147 alive, and 196 total. There are another up to 24 alive, 59 total, and we want to return the living and the dead. It’s a very important goal, but there is a superior goal. The supreme objective is victory over our enemies, and this we will achieve.”
His remarks drew immediate condemnation from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of those still held by Hamas. “Prime minister, returning the hostages is not ‘less important,’ it is the supreme goal that should guide the Israeli government,” the group said in a strongly worded statement.
The forum accused Netanyahu of aligning with his Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who made similar controversial remarks last month. “Families of the hostages are concerned — Netanyahu aligns himself with Smotrich, contrary to the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public who want the return of all hostages above all else,” the group said.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan has been held captive in Gaza for nearly a year and a half, expressed anguish over the prime minister’s comments. “I understand that Netanyahu has more important goals than bringing back my sick son, who has been chained up for a year and a half and drinking water from the toilet in the Nazi tunnels in Gaza,” she said. “Because of this, it is clear to me that in order to bring back my son — my goal from this moment on is to oust Netanyahu from power.”
The controversy follows similar outrage in mid-April when Minister Smotrich said securing victory outweighed the need to retrieve the hostages. At the time, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded: “Minister Smotrich — history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them—some from death, others from disappearance.”
Amid rising tensions over the ongoing war and the hostage crisis, Netanyahu used his appearance at the annual International Bible Quiz on Thursday to reveal a new security development: Israeli police had arrested 18 individuals suspected of arson, including one person caught in the act. The arrests came as large-scale fires raged across central Israel, prompting fears of domestic unrest and potential terror-related activity during one of the country’s most significant national holidays.
“These fires, some of which are suspected to be deliberate, threaten not only our forests but also our communities and sense of security,” Netanyahu said.
The announcement came as Israelis marked Independence Day under the shadow of thick smoke and scorched landscapes. Authorities reopened roads that had been closed earlier in the week and permitted evacuated residents to return home. However, officials warned the danger was far from over.
“At this stage, we still have not gained control [of the fires],” the Fire and Rescue Service cautioned in a Thursday morning statement, urging the public to remain alert and follow safety guidelines.
The scope of the damage has been extensive. According to an early Thursday estimate by the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), approximately 20,000 dunams (around 4,900 acres) of land have been destroyed by the blazes. This includes 13,000 dunams (3,200 acres) of precious woodland, with Canada Park—located just outside the city of Modi’in—suffering particularly severe damage.
The fires have added another layer of crisis for a nation already on edge due to the ongoing war with Hamas and the unresolved fate of dozens of Israeli hostages.
Officials have not ruled out nationalistic or terror-related motives for the fires, and investigations remain ongoing.
The Shin Bet domestic security agency is reportedly involved in probing the arson cases, signaling the severity with which the government views the threat.
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