How the hostages became a political headache for Netanyahu | The Listening Post

Through eight months of war in Gaza, the issue of the hostages has obsessed the Israeli public above all else but the dramatic operation to rescue four Israelis held captive in Gaza last week which resulted in a massacre of more than 270 Palestinians - has revealed that a ceasefire deal remains the best option to secure their safe return.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paid lip service to the public's demand to bring the captives home but Israelis are coming to the realisation that the issue is a headache for him - it gets in the way of what seems to be his effort to prolong this war in order to prolong his own political career.