Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the press conference held by National Unity Party leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot in which they accused him of lying about the war and the efforts to bring the hostages home. The Prime Minister's Office stated, "The reality speaks for itself. Since Gantz and his party left the Government, Israel eliminated Hamas's chief-of-staff and Hezbollah's chief-of-staff, attacked the Houthis, seized the Philadelphi Corridor – the lifeline by which Hamas arms itself – and carried out a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, which thwarted its malicious plan and destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the Galilee." "Whoever does not contribute to the victory and the return of the hostages would do well not to interfere," the Prime Minister's Office added. During the press conference, MK Benny Gantz said of Netanyahu, “He won’t bring the hostages home, he won’t truly protect the southern outlet, he won’t return the residents of the north to their homes, he won’t prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” Gantz accused Netanyahu of lying about his role in the hostage negotiations, saying that the Prime Minister often got in the way of the negotiations even in the early days of the war. Related articles: Benny Gantz surprises Almog Cohen with a Purim gift Who is delaying the ouster of Ayman Odeh? 'Gantz and Eisenkot's resignation harmed return of hostages' 'Trump's plan is a global responsibility' "It doesn’t surprise me because Netanyahu is focused on political survival, and harms our strategic ties with the United States while Iran is progressing toward a nuclear weapon," Gantz said, adding that the hostages must be brought back "even at a very heavy price.” Gantz took issue with Netanyahu's insistence that Israel must retain control of the Philadelphi Corridor to prevent Hamas from rearming, saying that Netanyahu is ignoring a proposal to use an underground system to prevent Hamas from using smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border again. Gantz also said that it is time for Israel to shift its focus from Gaza to the threat posed by Hezbollah in the north.
