ALBAWABA - Declaring that Hamas is to blame for the delays in reaching an agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that Israel is aggressively seeking a prisoner swap agreement with Palestinian groups in Gaza.
In a briefing to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Knesset, Netanyahu said that almost half of the captives in Gaza are still "alive." He said that one of the possibilities being considered at the moment is designating Northern Gaza as a military zone, as suggested by Reserve General Ilan.
Regarding the circumstances in Lebanon, Netanyahu said that he would rather not engage in a full-scale conflict with Hezbollah. He pointed out that Israel had recently carried out extraordinary attacks on the organization and threatened to take more military action if Hezbollah didn't realize how dire the situation was.
Speaking to the displaced citizens of Northern Israel, Netanyahu underlined that no country can stand for assaults on its citizens or its towns and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring their safe return.
Hezbollah had earlier attacked the Ramat David airfield and the military firm Rafael, causing damage in a number of Northern Israeli areas. This was the first time since the start of hostilities in October that Hezbollah has attacked the city of Haifa.
