Facing limited diplomatic options to resolve the hostage crisis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advocating for a “military solution” to secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, an Israeli official was quoted as saying by ABC News on Sunday.Netanyahu has proposed expanding military operations in Gaza, aiming to use force to rescue approximately 20 hostages still believed to be alive since their capture during Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023. The official said that there is an increasing understanding within the Israeli leadership that Hamas is not interested in making a deal for the officials, reports ABC News. “Therefore, prime minister Netanyahu is pushing to expand military operations to release the hostages through a military solution,” said the official.Tens of thousands gathered in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand that Netanyahu’s government secure the release of the remaining hostages.“They are on the absolute brink of death,” said Ilay David, the brother of Evyatar David, whose video was released by Hamas showing him in what he described as digging his own grave. “In the current unimaginable condition, they may have only days left to live.”“The prime minister expressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organisations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and told the families that the efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing, and will continue constantly and relentlessly,” Netanyahu’s office stated late Saturday.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to assist with the hostages held in Gaza, reports AFP.Hamas’s armed wing responded by agreeing to grant the agency access to the hostages, but only on the condition that “humanitarian corridors” for food and aid are opened “across all areas of the Gaza Strip.”For months, humanitarian groups and international agencies have warned that Gaza is experiencing “critical” hunger levels, with famine “imminent” in some areas of the Gaza Strip.Gaza’s health ministry has also reported an increasing number of deaths linked to malnutrition. Around 175 people, including 93 children, have died due to malnutrition, as per the ministry, reports ABC News.Israel has imposed strict limits on the flow of aid into the besieged Gaza Strip, while UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, and analysts report that much of the aid permitted is either looted or diverted amid chaotic conditions.Many Palestinians are forced to risk their lives to access whatever limited aid is distributed through controlled channels.
