Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu shared his belief on Thursday that the residents of northern Israel would be able to return to their homes once the situation along the border remains stable and the ceasefire agreement is effectively upheld. “The threat in the north has been removed. We will work to convince not just our enemies, but also our residents. They will return gradually when they feel it correct,” Netanyahu stated during an interview with Channel 14.

He highlighted that the elimination of Yahya Sinwar and the separation of the fronts between Gaza and Lebanon have shifted the conditions surrounding potential hostage negotiations. “I think the conditions have changed for the better, not just because of the disconnection between the fronts, but also because of Sinwar’s elimination.”

Netanyahu also addressed the failure of external forces to support Hamas as the group had hoped. “Hamas hoped that Iran would come to rescue it; that didn’t happen. It hoped the Houthis would come to rescue it; that didn’t happen. But above all, it hoped that Hezbollah would come to rescue it, and indeed Nasrallah said already on the second day, when he attacked, that ‘we would continue until Israel stops its attacks on Hamas.’”

{Matzav.com}