Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the IDF would soon launch a military operation in Rafah as he vowed to free the remaining 133 hostages held in Gaza in a special address to the nation he delivered Sunday in advance of the Passover holiday. ...

In language reminiscent of the Passover story in which Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to allow the slaves to leave Egypt, Netanyahu said that Hamas had “hardened its heart” and refused to send out “our people.”

“Therefore, we will rein additional and painful blows on him - and it will happen soon,” Netanyahu vowed.