Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday night that Hamas terrorists who freed Israeli hostages would be allowed to survive, but terrorists who tried to harm them would be hunted down and killed. He added that the war in Gaza will end once the hostages are released and Hamas terrorists lay down their weapons.
Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video address in English hours after Israel confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip in a gunfight on Wednesday. He had addressed the nation in Hebrew a few hours earlier.
The full text of Prime Minister Netanyahu's remarks was published by the Israeli Government Press Office.
A year ago, Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar launched the October 7 massacre against Israel.
It was the bloodiest attack on Jews since the Holocaust. It was the worst attack on the Jewish state since the founding of Israel.
Shinwar terrorists killed 1,200 people in cold blood. It's the elderly, Holocaust survivors and children.
They brutally raped women. They cut off the man's head. They burned the baby alive.
They then took 251 women, men and children as hostages to the Gaza dungeons.
Today, the mastermind of this day of pure evil is no more.
Yahya Sinwar is dead.
He was killed by brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah.
This is not the end of the war in Gaza, but it is the beginning of the end.
To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message. This war could end tomorrow. This could end if Hamas lays down its weapons and returns the hostages.
Hamas is holding 101 people from 23 countries hostage in Gaza. Not only citizens of Israel, but also citizens of many other countries.
Israel is committed to doing everything in its power to bring them all home.
And Israel will guarantee the safety of all returning hostages.
But I send a different message to those who seek to harm our hostages. Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice.
I would also like to convey a message of hope to the people of this region. The axis of terror built by Iran is crumbling before our eyes.
Nasrallah is gone. His lieutenant Mohsen is gone. Haniya is gone. Deif is gone. Shinwar is gone.
The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen will eventually come to an end.
All people who seek a prosperous and peaceful future for the Middle East should come together to build a better future.
Together we can push away the forces of darkness and create a future of light and hope for all of us.
Netanyahu's message has been consistent in recent months that the war could end if Hamas released its hostages and laid down its weapons. But the explicit offer to those holding Israeli hostages without direction from Shinwar's leadership was new.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
