Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday gave a press conference, laying out his plan for defeating Hamas and administering Gaza after the war.
Prime Minister Netanyahu told foreign reporters that Israel’s war aim is “not to occupy Gaza but to free Gaza” from Hamas. The Israeli military “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” he said.
Paraphrasing Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Jerusalem Post reported that the “day-after plan for the Gaza Strip will include Israel maintaining overriding security responsibility, and the establishment of a civilian administration.”
“Gaza will be demilitarized and a security zone will be established on Israel’s border,” the newspaper added.
He outlined a 5-point plan for Gaza, the UK newspaper Telegraph reported:
Mr Netanyahu has laid out Israel’s five principles for concluding the war. They are:
- Hamas disarmed.
- All hostages freed.
- Gaza demilitarised.
- Israeli overriding security control.
- Non-Israeli peaceful civil administration.
The Israeli news website Ynetnews published excerpts from the prime minister’s remarks:
Netanyahu said in his opening remarks that, in light of the cabinet’s decision to take over the Strip, “the truth is that Hamas has thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza, and the organization wants to repeat the atrocities of October 7 and do so again and again. Hamas enslaves Gazans, steals food and shoots at those who try to cross to safe areas. The Gazans are begging us and the world – release us and liberate Gaza from Hamas. No government would allow a genocidal government in Gaza, and our goal is not to occupy Gaza, but to liberate it from Hamas terrorists.”Netanyahu added that the war “could end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the hostages.” He presented his five principles for ending the war: “Gaza will be demilitarized, Israel will have responsibility for security, and security zones will be established on the borders to prevent invasions. A civilian government will be appointed in Gaza that will strive to live in peace with Israel. The civilian government will not educate its children in terrorism, will not pay for terrorism, and will not launch terrorist attacks against Israel. It will not be run by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.””In light of Hamas’ refusal to lay down its weapons, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of the organization. We have 75% of Gaza under Israeli military control, but there are two more strong outposts: Gaza City and the central camps and the al-Mawasi area,” the prime minister said. “The cabinet has instructed the IDF to neutralize the two Hamas outposts in Gaza and the central camps. Contrary to claims, this is the best way to end the war quickly. We will do this by allowing the civilian population to leave the combat zones for security zones – where they will receive food and medicine. Contrary to false claims, the policy throughout the war was to prevent a humanitarian disaster, while Hamas’ policy was to create such a disaster.”Netanyahu told the reporters that Israel has brought 2 million tons of aid into Gaza. “I don’t know of another army that allowed such an amount of aid into a war zone. If we had a starvation policy, no one would survive after two years. Our policy is the opposite. Hamas looted the food, deliberately created a shortage, and the UN refused until recently to distribute the thousands of trucks that we allowed to enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom. There were tons of food that was not collected and rotted because the UN refused to let it in.”
While detailing humanitarian measures taken by Israel since this conflict began 22 months ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed the media for publishing fake images of starvation in Gaza, calling it a “global campaign of lies” comparable to the antisemitic falsehoods from the Middle Ages and the Holocaust.
“Since the beginning of the war, Israel has let in close to two million tonnes of aid. I know of no other army that has enabled such aid to go to the civilian population in enemy territory,” Netanyahu explained. “Now, if we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived after two years of war. But our policy has been the exact opposite.”
The military conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis could end as soon as Hamas terrorists agree to disarm. “The war could end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its weapons,” he noted.
The Times of Israel reported:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blames Hamas and the international media for promoting false allegations of Israeli-imposed starvation in Gaza — describing a “global campaign of lies,” and saying that the facts he has set out in his press conference thus far can be “verified easily.”While 2 million people in Gaza are now getting access to humanitarian aid, “the only ones who are being deliberately starved in Gaza are our hostages,” he says.He shows a still of the emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, as seen in a recent Hamas propaganda video. “Look at his hand, at his arm. He is being deliberately starved by these Hamas monsters,” says Netanyahu, pointing also to the plump arm in the shot of one of the Hamas captors who, he says, is plainly “eating well.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu also highlighted the hypocrisy and cowardice recently displayed by some European and Western leaders. Canada, Germany, France, and the UK, all four nations with growing migrant Muslim populations, have announced punitive measures against Israel if the military operation against Hamas isn’t ended soon.
“Many leaders tell me, look, we know you’re right, but we can’t stand in the face of public opinion in our country, especially European leaders,” Netanyahu said. “They tell me that over and over, and I say, that is your problem. It is not our problem.”
He also blasted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who on Saturday imposed a partial weapons embargo while Israel is in the middle of a multi-front war, the Newsweek reported:
Netanyahu fired back at Merz during Sunday’s press conference: “I respect Friedrich Merz. I think he’s been a good friend of Israel, but I think he’s buckled under, buckled under the pressure of false TV reports, the pressure, internal pressure from various groups.”
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