Israel is prepared to fight until complete victory over the Hamas group and promises to cease fire only after the return of Israelis kidnapped by terrorists, according to the head of the Israeli government.
According to him, today Israel marks six months since the beginning of the war with Hamas. He added that during the military campaign, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) eliminated 19 out of 24 Hamas battalions, including senior commanders.
"We have destroyed, injured, or captured a significant number of Hamas terrorists. We have also cleared out Shifa and many other terrorist headquarters. We have destroyed rocket and weapon manufacturing plants, ammunition depots, and continue to systematically destroy tunnels. We are one step away from victory," Netanyahu said.
War until all hostages are freed
He noted that Hamas militants still hold 133 of our kidnapped brothers and sisters and added that Tel Aviv has already returned 123 kidnapped individuals and intends to return them all home.
"I have made it clear to the international community: there will be no ceasefire without the return of the hostages. This is the policy of the Israeli government and I welcome the fact that the Biden administration clarified the other day that this is also its position," the prime minister said.
He emphasized that Hamas is obstructing an agreement on the return of hostages, and its unrealistic demands are aimed at ending the war and self-preservation. Netanyahu believes that Hamas is trying to survive and restore its ability to endanger the citizens and soldiers of Israel.
According to the head of the government, capitulation to Hamas' demands will allow it, as it has promised, to repeatedly attempt to repeat crimes similar to those committed on October 7.
"Hamas hopes that pressure from outside and from within will force Israel to submit to these unrealistic demands. This will not happen. Israel is ready for an agreement, but Israel is not ready to surrender. Instead of directing international pressure on Israel, which only strengthens Hamas' position, the pressure of the international community should be directed against Hamas. This will contribute to the release of the kidnapped," Netanyahu said.
He also noted that there is no war more just than this one, and added that we are determined to end it with complete victory, to return all our kidnapped, to complete the liquidation of Hamas in the entire Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
Iran is involved in the attack
Netanyahu also noted that Iran is behind the attack on Israel through its satellites. The prime minister reminded that since October 7, Israel has been attacked on many fronts by Iran's satellites - Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, militias from Iraq and Syria, and others.
"We will strike those who harm us or plan to harm us. We consistently adhere to this principle, and we have also adhered to it in recent days. Near and far, in arenas surrounding us and far from us. Israel is ready to defend and attack against any attempt, from wherever it may come, to attack us," said the head of the Israeli government.
He also noted that now, in the midst of war, we must unite to repel attacks against us.
"The time for unity has come. However, it is precisely at this time that an extremist and violent minority seeks to divide the country. There is nothing else our enemies desire more than this. They hope that internal division and baseless hatred will stop us just before victory," Netanyahu said.
He also announced that countries arise in unity and perish in division. However, let our enemies not be mistaken: the absolute majority of the people are united in the need to continue fighting to victory.
"The majority of the people, including myself, condemn any manifestations of violence: lawlessness and violations, attacks on demonstrators, or attacks on police, wild incitement to murder and violence on social media. Let us be united, crush our enemies, destroy Hamas, free our kidnapped, and with God's help, achieve complete victory," Netanyahu concluded.
Israel-Hamas war
On October 7, 2023, militants of the radical Palestinian Islamic radical movement Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip. In the first days of the attack, terrorists killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers and kidnapped about 250 Israelis and foreigners, as well as extensively shelled cities in the country.
In response to the invasion, at the end of October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a ground military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which is ongoing.
In mid-March, Netanyahu stated that Israel is close to completing the final part of the military operations. According to him, the military operation could end in approximately a month or two.
On the night of April 7, the Israel Defense Forces withdrew almost all of its forces from the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Currently, only one Israeli brigade, Nahal, remains in the region. The withdrawal of troops occurred after four months of continuous fighting in the Khan Younis area.
In mid-March, the Israeli army announced its readiness to begin a ground operation in the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Western countries and Egypt have expressed opposition to an offensive that would lead to mass casualties among refugees. Netanyahu promised to evacuate 1.4 million civilians from Rafah to humanitarian zones in the central part of the region.