An Israeli hostage advocacy group on Saturday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the main obstacle to freeing captives in Gaza, hours after he blamed Hamas leaders for prolonging the war.
"The targeted operation in Qatar proved beyond any doubt that there is one obstacle to returning the ... hostages and ending the war: Prime Minister Netanyahu," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement, referring to Israel's recent strike on a meeting of Hamas members in the Gulf state.
"Every time a deal approaches, Netanyahu sabotages it," they added.
Earlier in the evening, the premier had said eliminating Hamas' leaders in Qatar would bring an end to the war, accusing the group of derailing past efforts to secure a cease-fire.
"The Hamas ... chiefs living in Qatar don't care about the people in Gaza. They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war," he said on X.
"Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war."
The forum, however, characterized the accusation as Netanyahu's latest "excuse" for failing to bring home the captives.
"The time has come to end the excuses designed to buy time so he can cling to power," the forum said.
"This stalling ... threatens the lives of additional hostages who are barely surviving after nearly two years in captivity, as well as the recovery of those who have died."
Palestinian resistance groups, led by Hamas, abducted 251 people during their Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel. Some 47 of the captives are still held in Gaza, including 25, the military says are dead.
Thousands of Israelis massed in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling on the government to end the war and strike a deal to return hostages, an AFP correspondent reported.
