PM Netanyahu on IDF's killing of Israeli hostages: 'We cannot turn back the clock'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu attends the funeral for First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot (aged 25) in the Herzliya cemetery on December 8, 2023 in Herzliya, Israel. (Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)

During a Saturday night presser, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the IDF's recent killing of three Israeli hostages, calling it a "tragedy."

"Since the tragedy yesterday, one thought has followed me: 'What would have happened if something had been different?'" Netanyahu said during the presser. "I am certain that we all share this thought. We were so close to embracing them now."

"But I regret that we cannot turn back the clock," he added. "Everyone who has fought on the battlefield knows that the distance between victory and disaster is a hair's breadth."

The Israeli leader also emphasized that the IDF has learned its "lesson" from the incident.

"Out of the immense pain, we will learn and implement the lessons, and we will not relent in the military and diplomatic effort to safely return home all of our hostages," Netanyahu continued.