(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the weekend, spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and told him that the information in Israel's hands unequivocally indicates that Hamas is responsible for the abduction of the youths, adding that this needs to be expressed in actions on the ground.

The Prime Minister stated that Israel opposes the transfer of funds from Qatar to Hamas and said that Abu Mazen needs to end the pact with Hamas, which is responsible for the abduction of the youths and which calls for Israel's destruction. Prime Minister Netanyahu stressed that the goal of the action by the security forces is discover the location of the three abducted youths and that, therefore, it is focusing on Hamas. The Prime Minister said that we are witnessing the unrestrained brutality of Islamic terrorism both in Israel and around us and asserted that the State of Israel is determined to defend itself in the face of the murderous terrorism directed against it.