Likud MK Ariel Kallner sharply criticized the demands for the return of hostages on Monday, explaining, “You can’t wage a war when you come and tell the enemy, ‘this is the weak point.’”
In an interview with Radio Kol Barama, Kallner cited Operation Rising Lion, in which Israeli air force pilots flew over Iranian skies, as an example.
“We are at war; we went to war against Iran; we took into account that there would be hundreds of casualties on the home front, as well as pilots who might be taken captive,” Kallner said.
“If they had taken a pilot captive and put him in Fordow, would we have told Trump, ‘Don’t take out Fordow’?”
Last week, Kallner also claimed that there is no hunger in Gaza.
“Gazans are plump and healthy; it’s all nonsense,” he said in an interview with 103FM.
Relocation of Gaza civilians
He further addressed the relocation of Gaza’s population, stating, “Whoever remains in the north – we will truly starve them.”
A member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Kallner argued that Israel must annex parts of Gaza if Hamas does not show flexibility in negotiations. “Without control of the territory, it is impossible to defeat Hamas,” he said. “We need to stop the aid; that way, it will be easier for us to defeat the enemy. The population has the option to move south. We are not starving them; by the way, no one there is hungry even now.”