Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the media about the continuation of the fighting and the Cabinet’s decision to take control of Gaza.
Netanyahu during the statementYonatan Sindel/Flash 90
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a statement to the Israeli media on Sunday evening, his first since Operation Rising Lion inIran.
Netanyahu commented on the Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, in which it was decided on the take over of Gaza, stating, “The Cabinet instructed the IDF to move to the decisive phase and take control of the last strongholds held by Hamas—chief among them the terror capital, Gaza City, where the organization’s headquarters, commanders, and infrastructure, from which it exerts control, are located.”
He then outlined the five principles set by the cabinet for ending the war. “The IDF will allow the population in Gaza City to evacuate from combat zones, as we successfully did in Khan Yunis, Rafah, and Deir al-Balah. We will provide civilians with an organized exit corridor and humanitarian aid outside the combat zones.”
“After months of fruitless negotiations, it became clear that Hamas does not want a deal—it remains steadfast in its refusal and has presented impossible conditions, even in the eyes of the United States.”
Netanyahu pointed out that Hamas’s conditions include: “A complete withdrawal from the Strip, including from the Philadelphi Corridor, which would allow weapons smuggling; the release of Nukhba terrorists; and a demand for binding international guarantees that would prevent the IDF from engaging in combat.”
He stated, “These are conditions of surrender that no responsible government would accept, and I will not accept. Hamas has deceived us—and therefore, I have decided that the right path is to defeat Hamas.”
Commenting on the Cabinet discussion, Netanyahu said, “It was proposed to encircle Hamas and conduct raids, but the majority of the cabinet believed this would not achieve victory or bring back the hostages.”
Netanyahu said, “This is a historic achievement that some try to downplay—as if saving the lives of ten million people and securing our future for generations is a trivial matter.” He further pointed out that all this was achieved “despite heavy pressures from within and outside to stop the war before we entered Rafah. If I had succumbed to those pressures, Sinwar and Haniyeh would still be ruling Gaza, and Iran would be racing toward a nuclear weapon, producing 20,000 ballistic missiles that threaten our existence.”
