An Israeli campaign group led by relatives of hostages held in Gaza has said that an end to the Israel-Hamas offensive without bringing the captives home would be a “national failure”, AFP reports.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded to remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a TV interview on Sunday, in which he said the “intense phase” of the fighting in the Gaza Strip was winding down, though the offensive as such was not nearing its end.

“Ending the fighting in Gaza without freeing the hostages would be an unprecedented national failure and a departure from the war’s objectives,” the families’ forum said in a statement.

“The responsibility and duty to return all hostages lies with the prime minister. There is no greater test than this.”