Netanyahu shows picture of Bibas family at combat officers’ graduation: ‘Remember what we are fighting for'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed images of Shiri Bibas and her 2 young sons, Ariel and Kfir, during an code astatine a combat officers' graduation ceremonial connected Sunday, delivering a solemn message.

"I privation to amusement you something. I privation to amusement you this representation of Shiri Bibas and her tender children, Ariel and Kfir Bivas. This representation says it all; I inquire that you engrave it connected the committee of your hearts, truthful that you volition ever retrieve what we are warring for and against whom we are fighting," Netanyahu told the graduates, according to Fox News' translation of the Hebrew speech. "We are warring to unafraid our beingness against man-monsters who person risen to annihilate us." 

"Already successful the archetypal days of the war, they murdered Shiri and her children successful acold blood; they strangled the tender children with their ain hands," Netanyahu said, holding up a photograph of the Bibas family. "And if they could, they would person killed america each with the aforesaid cruelty, until our precise past man. Against this we fight, and these monsters we indispensable and tin decision – and decision them we will. This is our mission, and this is your mission!" 

"As the defenders of our homeland, each of you is imbued with purpose, wielding sword and shield," helium added. "We person precocious expectations of you, but I cognize that supra all, you person expectations of yourselves." 

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Hamas handed implicit the bodies of the 2 young brothers connected Thursday, but initially returned the incorrect remains for Shiri successful what Netanyahu had decried arsenic a "brazen usurpation of their agreement." The Israeli mother's existent remains were handed implicit connected Saturday and identified by Israeli forensic authorities to beryllium Shiri pursuing a standoff with the violent group. Also returned was the assemblage of Oded Lifshitz, a chap nonmigratory of Kibbutz Nir Oz kidnapped by Hamas connected Oct. 7, 2023, and who Israel says was murdered successful captivity. The Israel Defense Forces said the boys' bodies proved they were "murdered by terrorists successful acold blood," contempt Hamas antecedently claiming the brothers were killed successful an airstrike.

In his code Sunday, Netanyahu said President Donald Trump "sees oculus to oculus with america connected everything related to Gaza." 

"We enactment President Trump’s groundbreaking program to let escaped exit for Gazans, and to make a antithetic Gaza," Netanyahu told the graduating combat officers. 

"I convey President Trump for his directive to proviso Israel with captious weapons," Netanyahu said. "The caller antiaircraft and violative arms volition greatly assistance america successful achieving implicit victory. At the aforesaid time, we person approved tremendous budgets for the home improvement of limb systems – systems that volition heighten our quality to basal up to our enemies connected our own." 

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The premier curate besides laid retired his government's objectives. Netanyahu said Israeli forces "have eliminated astir of Hamas’s organized strength" in Gaza. 

"But fto determination beryllium nary doubt: we volition implicit the warfare objectives, including this one, to the precise end," helium said. "It tin beryllium achieved done negotiation, and it tin besides beryllium achieved by different means. From the commencement of the war, the conditions we acceptable for its decision were wide – and they stay clear. All of our abductees, without exception, volition instrumentality home. Hamas volition not govern Gaza. Gaza volition beryllium purged, and its combat capableness volition beryllium dismantled." 
 

Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said helium plans to instrumentality to the portion connected Wednesday to negociate an "extension" of Phase One of the ceasefire and hostage merchandise woody betwixt Israel and Hamas. 

Phase Two, Witkoff noted, includes ensuring Hamas volition ne'er instrumentality to authorities enactment successful Gaza, which helium predicts volition not beryllium a harmless surviving situation for different 15 to 20 years and volition necessitate a lengthy reconstruction plan. 

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.