As Israelis across the country blocked roads Sunday and called for an end to the war and a hostage release deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the nationwide strike was making a ceasefire with Hamas less likely.

The remarks were met with anger from the families of hostages, who accused the prime minister of lying to the public.

“Those who call today for ending the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas’s position and distancing the release of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the atrocities of October 7 will repeat themselves again and again, and that our sons and daughters will have to fight again and again in an endless war,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.

“To make progress on the release of our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel, we must complete the mission and defeat Hamas,” he continued, in comments released by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu said that he remained “determined to implement” the security cabinet decision adopted earlier this month calling for the IDF to conquer Gaza City, which was the impetus for Sunday’s strike.

The general strike was organized by the October Council, which represents some family members of hostages and those killed on October 7 as well as survivors of the attack who believe the war against Hamas in Gaza must end, the hostages must be brought home, and Israel’s leadership must take accountability for failing to prevent the Hamas-led........

© The Times of Israel