Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas” in an effort to defend a new military offensive in one of Gaza’s most populous areas in the face of growing international and domestic condemnation. Just before an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Gaza, he spoke to foreign media. Notably, Netanyahu claimed that he had instructed the Israeli military to “bring in more foreign journalists.” This would be a striking development considering that they have not been permitted into Gaza beyond military embeds throughout the 22 months of war. “Our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza,” Netanyahu asserted.
He also rejected what he called a “global campaign of lies” and said that one of Israel’s strongest supporters, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had “buckled under” by stopping the export of military equipment that could be used in Gaza to Israel. Merz, on the other hand, stated to public broadcaster ARD that while Germany and Israel were conversing “very critically,” Berlin’s overall policies of friendship had not altered. Netanyahu stated that there was a “fairly short timetable” for the next steps in Gaza, but he did not provide any specifics. He stated that the objectives include demilitarizing the territory, establishing a non-Israeli civilian administration in charge, and the Israeli military having “overriding security control.” Netanyahu attributed Hamas to many of Gaza’s issues, including the deaths of civilians, destruction, and lack of aid. “Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists,” he asserted, adding that Palestinians are “begging” to be freed from them.
Although the prime minister stated that “there was a problem with deprivation, no question about it,” he did acknowledge hunger, stating that “there was no starvation in Gaza.” He stated that Israel wants to expand the locations where aid is distributed.
Israel defends planned military offensive in Gaza, lashes out at ‘global campaign of lies’
