Netanyahu says Hamas 'doesn't want a deal'
"I understand exactly what Hamas wants. It doesn't want a deal," Netanyahu said in a video message, according to an English translation by The Times of Israel.
He added that recent videos released by Hamas had only strengthened his determination to defeat the group and bring the hostages home.
Netanyahu's remarks were met with sharp criticism from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents most of the families of the 50 hostages still believed to be in Gaza.
"For 22 months now the public has been sold the illusion that military pressure and intense fighting will bring the hostages back," the group said in a statement.
"The truth must be told: Expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages who are at risk of imminent death. We saw the chilling images of the hostages in the tunnels, they won't survive more long days of horror."
In recent days, Hamas has released videos showing two of the hostages in a state of acute malnutrition.
The images have shocked the Israeli public and many people around the world over the weekend, with leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron expressing their horror.
In Israel, it is suspected that Hamas deliberately brought the hostages to the brink of starvation in order to exert pressure on the Netanyahu government.
"They [Hamas] want to break us — with these horrifying videos, with the false horror propaganda it spreads across the world," Netanyahu said. "But we will not break."
Israeli leadership weighing military options
According to Israeli media, the Israeli government is considering military action to rescue the remaining hostages.
An unnamed Israeli official told several newspapers that Netanyahu is seeking to secure their release "through decisive military victory." Talks with the United States are ongoing, the official added, amid signs that Hamas remains unwilling to reach a deal through indirect negotiations.
However, humanitarian aid for the Palestinian civilian population would be guaranteed, except in combat zones and areas under Hamas control.
Israel believes at least 50 hostages are still being held by Hamas and allied groups, with around 20 presumed to be alive.
Months of indirect talks aimed at achieving a ceasefire and hostage release have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Hamas: Red Cross can treat hostages under certain conditions
Hamas on Sunday said it is prepared under certain conditions to allow the Red Cross to supply food and medicine to the Israeli hostages it is holding, after a video of an emaciated captive prompted international condemnation.
A spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the organization's military wing, said on Telegram that they would respond positively to a request from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
However, he added that Israel must, in return, enable the comprehensive and permanent supply of aid for the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
In addition, Israel must cease all aerial reconnaissance during the period in which help reaches the hostages, Hamas said.
Netanyahu's office said he has spoken to the ICRC's regional head of delegation, Julien Lerisson, and asked him to ensure that the Red Cross immediately supplies the Israeli hostages with food and medicine.
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