Another set of questions, including on the feeling that by families of hostages that Netanyahu is not doing everything to bring them back, and on rumours Netanyahu will fire his Defense Minister

Netanyahu says "we were close" (to freeing the hostages). He says he managed to bring the number of hostages released in last year's ceasefire, and is trying to do so again today.

For Netanyahu, the main goal of this press conference (beyond the domestic aspect), seems to have been to convey the message to #Hamas's Sinwar, "forget about it" (as Netanyahu himself said) - i.e. forget about the Philadelphi Corridor. Netanyahu says he will resist pressure

#New #Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida implies the group will execute hostages if Israel tries to release them. "We tell everyone clearly that after the Nuseirat incident [likely referring to a rescue operation that freed four hostages including Noa Argamani], new instructions

And there are still people claiming the six hostages were not killed by Hamas - even though the group is clearly hinting they will execute them.

One misconstruction that serves Netanyahu well during his press conference: He showed a handwritten note in which a senior Hamas member (possibly Sinwar), gives an order to increase psychological warfare through the release of hostage videos, while ordering efforts to direct

This is nonsense.

The head of #Israel's opposition, Yair Lapid, responds to Netanyahu's speech: - He recalls Netanyahu voted in support of withdrawing Israeli troops from the Philadelphi Corridor nearly twenty years ago. - He says Netanyahu did not order the recapture of Philadelphi during his

BREAKING: 41 people killed and 180 injured in a Russian ballistic missile strike on Poltava - x.com/ZelenskyyUa/st…

It is certainly worth a read.

New calls for protests today (for the third day in a row) by the families of hostages #Israel

Netanyahu is due to hold a press conference tonight for the foreign press #Israel

The IDF releases footage from the entrance to the tunnel where hostages Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi were murdered by Hamas terrorists and later found by troops.

So we're at the stage of #Israel-#Egypt tensions where there is just not enough real sh..t Cairo can use, and Egypt is just dumping nonsense onto the press. Not a great sign.

Can Iraq break free from its geopolitical chains? en.majalla.com/node/322074/po…

Latest: US has told allies that #Iran has sent short-range ballistic missiles to #Russia. So far, hundreds sent. Sanctions being worked up by U.S., EU and partners. Story with Michael R. Gordon