Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has warned that “painful concessions” would be needed to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and that military action alone will not achieve the country’s military goals, AFP reports.

“Not all objectives can be achieved through military operations alone … to realise our moral duty to bring our hostages home, we will have to make painful concessions,” Gallant said, in a speech marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year.

Gallant went on to name the country’s military accomplishments in over a year of fighting.

“In the south, Hamas has ceased to act as a military structure, in the north, Hezbollah continues to suffer blows and its leadership has been eliminated, the majority of its rocket arsenal has been destroyed and its forces have retreated from the borderline,” he added.