Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heckled Monday by family members of hostages who are believed to still be in captivity in Gaza.
In an address to the country’s parliament, Netanyahu spoke about the ongoing Israeli offensive in the territory and said that “we will not stop until victory.” As he spoke, families in the gallery held up photos of the hostages who have not yet been freed and chanted for them to be released “now.”
“We wouldn’t have succeeded up until now to release more than 100 hostages without military pressure,” Netanyahu said. “And we won’t succeed at releasing all the hostages without military pressure.”
He also said Monday that the fight against Hamas “isn’t close to finished,” despite growing calls from some of Israel’s allies for a cease-fire.
Around 240 people were taken hostage during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with the country saying that the assault killed around 1,200 as well. After a short period in which some hostages were released, more than 100 are thought to remain in captivity, according to The Associated Press. Earlier this month, the Israeli military said that it had mistakenly killed three of the hostages.
Israel’s retaliation against Hamas has killed more than 20,000 people in Gaza, according to officials in the Palestinian enclave. Around 2 million people have been displaced there, and more than half a million people are starving following Israel’s siege of the territory, according to a report released this month by the United Nations and other agencies.
The AP reported Tuesday that Israeli forces had made moves signaling an expanded ground offensive.