The Israeli prime minister asked Ban — who met with the families of the hostages — to intervene with Hamas on this situation as well, particularly since the new deal with Turkey does not include the release of the captives.
“I want to thank you Mr. Secretary for agreeing to meet with the Goldin, Shaul and Mengisto families,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas is cruelly and illegally holding the remains of our soldiers and holding our citizens. I ask you to use your standing to help return home these soldiers and these citizens. It’s a humanitarian position and elementary humanitarian requirement that Hamas and its criminal activities is of course throwing into the winds.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization. Hamas has genocidal aims. It doesn’t merely practice terrorism. It says openly that its goal is to wipe away from the face of the earth a member state of the United Nations.
“I hope the UN will highlight Hamas’s crimes and understand that our security measures are aimed only at keeping our citizens safe from this threat and we use judicious force in this regards.
“I don’t know what any other country, faced with thousands of rockets and missiles aimed at our citizens, at our children, would do differently. Many have done it differently and they have not used the restraint and the responsibility that Israel uses.
“I know you are aware of all this, we’ve spoken about it many, many times,” Netanyahu said. “We’ve had many meetings and many productive meetings and once again I want to thank you for your many years of dedicated service to diplomacy and to the advancement of noble ideals, however distant they are today.”