The official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted Elkin, who is responsible for the rehabilitation of northern Israel and the border with Gaza, as saying on Monday that "expanding the scope of the maneuver in the Gaza Strip will also reinforce President Trump's plan to displace its residents."
He added, referring to the search for countries to which Palestinians could be displaced: "There is political activity to search for relevant countries, and we must work hard to help the United States because this is also our vision."
Elkin indicated that there is a "good opportunity" to reach an agreement on the prisoners by the end of Trump's visit to the Middle East, scheduled for mid-May and including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.
"If Hamas does not comply, we must change the rules of the game," he said, adding, "Hamas must understand that the current terms of the agreement will not remain the same in the future. Just because we occupy territories does not necessarily mean we will withdraw from them."
Abandonment of detainees
Meanwhile, the families of Israeli prisoners said Monday that by expanding the genocide in the Gaza Strip, Benjamin Netanyahu's government has admitted that it has abandoned the prisoners and chosen to occupy the territory rather than return them.
Earlier today, Israel's security cabinet unanimously approved a plan to expand the war on the Gaza Strip, including its occupation and continued presence there.
Commenting on this, the families said in a statement that the plan approved by the government deserves to be called the "Smotrich-Netanyahu Hostage Release Plan."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich angered the prisoners' families with a statement on April 21 in which he said that recovering the prisoners "is not the most important goal."
The families added in a statement: "The government admitted this morning that it is choosing land instead of prisoners, against the will of more than 70% of the population."
"This choice will remain a cry for future generations," she continued.
Opinion polls in Israel indicated that approximately 70% support a comprehensive agreement to return prisoners in exchange for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip.
War for "revenge"
In this context, the mother of an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza asserted on Monday that her country's government is waging a war of extermination against the Palestinian enclave "motivated by revenge and occupation," not by the rescue of Israeli prisoners.
Anat Angrist, the mother of soldier Matan Angrist, told Haaretz: "It seems the government has prioritized defeating Hamas over rescuing and returning the hostages, because that requires stopping the war."
On Monday, Israel's security cabinet approved a plan to expand the genocide against Palestinians, including the occupation of the Gaza Strip and its continued presence there.
