The Hostages Families Forum responded to the government's decision to remove the security restriction on residents returning to the Gaza envelope, stating that "if there is no security impediment to living in the Gaza envelope, then surely there is no impediment to ending the fighting in Gaza." According to the forum, "the government has once again proven what most of the public already knows - the mission to defeat Hamas has been accomplished, Israel has succeeded in removing the real threat from Gaza and has achieved its security objectives. Now it remains to reach a comprehensive agreement to return all 50 hostages, complete the mission and ensure an Israeli victory."