Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the main objective of the military campaign in Gaza is not to bring back the captives but to “defeat our enemies”, referring to Hamas, Al Jazeera reports.

“We want to bring back the remaining 59 [captives], but the ultimate goal of the war is the victory over our enemies,” Netanyahu said at an event in Jerusalem.

His comments received backlash from relatives of some of the remaining captives, including a mother named Einav Zangauker, who was quoted by local media as saying: “My goal from this moment on is to remove Netanyahu from power.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said in a statement that their freedom should be the government’s “top priority”.