Families of hostages boo Israel's Netanyahu during parliament address

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs a cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool)

Families of hostages taken by Hamas booed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed parliament, vowing to bring the captives home but saying "more time" was needed.

"Now! Now!" the families chanted from the gallery on Monday when Netanyahu said Israeli forces first needed to increase military pressure on Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

"We wouldn't be able to secure the release of hostages without military pressure," he said.

Netanyahu said he spoke to Israeli field commanders who said they needed "more time" to finish the mission.

"We won't stop until victory," Netanyahu said over the cries of protesters.

Israel says 129 hostages, taken on October 7 when Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, are still held in the Palestinian territory.

"We, my colleagues and I, aren't sparing any effort," Netanyahu added, to return "all of our hostages home."

Netanyahu's address came after his Likud party reported that he visited Gaza on Monday and vowed to step up the army's assault in the Palestinian territory.

"I just came back from Gaza," he said, according to a Likud party statement.

"We're not stopping, we're continuing to fight and we're intensifying the fighting in the coming days. It's going to be a long war that's not close to ending."

___

Source: TRT