Israel’s Netanyahu calls for hostages to be released during Gaza visit

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza on April 15, accompanied by the country's defence minister, head of the military and other senior officials, his office said.

A statement released by the prime minister's office said Mr Netanyahu received a security briefing in northern Gaza on the military's effort to free Israeli hostages and to defeat Hamas.

"We insist that our hostages be released and we insist on achieving all of our objectives for the war, and are doing so thanks to our heroic fighters," Mr Netanyahu's office cited the prime minister as saying during a meeting with soldiers.

The statement did not specify where in northern Gaza Mr Netanyahu visited or mention Hamas' claim on April 15 that it had

lost contact with those guarding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander

after the military purportedly bombed their location.

The Palestinian militant group still holds 59 hostages. Almost 200 hostages have been released by Hamas or rescued by the Israeli military over the course of the war, now in its 18th month. REUTERS