In a defiant press conference, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to crush Hamas, free the remaining hostages, and reject foreign pressure as Israel moves to take full control of Gaza.
Standing before the press in Tel Aviv on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered one of his most forceful addresses since the outbreak of the war, outlining Israel’s plan to seize full control of Gaza and warning the world that Jerusalem will act with or without international backing.
“Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza,” Netanyahu declared. “They vow to repeat the savagery of the October 7th Massacre — again and again. Our goal is not to occupy Gaza; our goal is to free Gaza. Free it from Hamas terrorists.”
Netanyahu described a post-war Gaza under Israeli security control, demilitarized, with a buffer zone along the border and a civilian administration willing to live in peace. While 70–75% of Gaza is already under Israeli military control, he confirmed that the Security Cabinet has ordered the IDF to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central refugee camps.
Addressing humanitarian claims, Netanyahu pushed back hard on accusations of an Israeli starvation policy:
“Israel has let in nearly 2 million tons of aid. If we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived two years of war. The only ones being deliberately starved in Gaza are our hostages.”
He accused Hamas of looting aid trucks and the UN of refusing to distribute supplies, leaving food rotting at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel, he said, is now implementing a “humanitarian surge” — creating safe corridors, expanding aid distribution points, and launching airdrop operations with the Israeli Air Force, coordinated with President Donald Trump’s team.
Drawing a chilling historical parallel, Netanyahu compared modern-day vilification of Israel to medieval antisemitic blood libels, warning that lies spread globally have historically led to massacres, pogroms, and ultimately the Holocaust.
On the hostage crisis, Netanyahu revealed that of the 255 hostages taken on October 7, 205 have been returned — 148 alive. Twenty remain alive in Hamas captivity, with 30 confirmed dead. He insisted that only military and diplomatic pressure combined can secure their release.
“A war of attrition will not free them. The move we are taking now has the potential to get them out alive.”
Netanyahu also addressed Germany’s arms embargo, calling Chancellor Friedrich Mertz a “friend” but criticizing him for yielding to public pressure. He dismissed wavering allies:
“Some leaders told me, ‘We know you’re right, but we can’t stand against public opinion.’ My answer: That is your problem, not our problem.”
As the IDF prepares to close in on Hamas’s last bastions, Netanyahu’s message was unambiguous: Israel will finish the job — even if it stands alone.
