Tel Aviv [Israel], October 10 (ANI/TPS): Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Friday to the Israeli public declaring, 'Today we celebrate one of our great achievements in the War of Rebirth: the return of all our captives, both living and dead.'

The Prime Minister stressed in his statement how, in spite of 'commentators' saying this could never happen, his government will now return all of the hostages while also maintaining an Israeli security presence within Gaza.

Netanyahu said in his statement that this was a central goal of the Gaza war that his government has 'adhered to throughout. Throughout the two years that have passed since the beginning of the war, I have promised the families of the abductees - and I have also promised you, the citizens of Israel - that we would return them all, without exception.'

'We promised - and we are keeping our promise,' he added.

Netanyahu explained he believed that if they applied 'heavy military pressure on Hamas - combined with heavy political pressure' they could 'return all our hostages. And that is exactly what we did.'

The Prime Minister also took the opportunity to point to actions made in the Gaza deal he said he was pressured 'both from home and abroad' to give up on, including, entering Rafah, taking the Philadelphia axis, and more.

'But I firmly rejected all of these pressures, because I had one and only consideration before me: Israel's security,' said Netanyahu. 'And that means achieving the war's goals, including the release of hostages; removing the nuclear and ballistic threat from Iran, which has endangered our existence here; and breaking the Iranian axis, of which Hamas is a central part.'

Netanyahu also pointed out that, even before President Trump returned to office, he had returned 158 hostages to Israel - 117 of whom were alive. (ANI/TPS)