PM Netanyahu: Israel will not halt Gaza war until all goals achieved

TheNewsDesk
3rd December, 2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the only way to achieve Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas is through the continuation of the IDF’s ground invasion of Gaza

Netanyahu, speaking at a press conference, says the war will continue until this goal is achieved, adding that he will also continue to work toward freeing the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza

“We will do everything to bring them home, to complete that mission but also to destroy Hamas, and to ensure that Hamas will never be a threat to us anymore and that there will be no group threatening Israel from Gaza,” says the prime minister during a press conference.

“I am saying clearly and plainly: We will continue with war until we achieve all our goals… There is no way to achieve these goals apart from winning, and no way to win apart from through the ground invasion.”

US officials have reportedly warned Netanyahu that Israel will not necessarily have maneuverability and support should the fighting continue for months.

He hails the deal that enabled the return of over 100 hostages in the past week — “we brought them from darkness into light,” he says. And he laments those killed and those who have not yet been brought home.

The deal was negotiated with “the devil,” he says of Hamas, and it secured the freedom of double the number of hostages than initially proposed. “But the mission is not over… I promise we will do everything to get everybody back.”

He reiterates his three declared goals for the war — returning the hostages, defeating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza cannot constitute a threat to Israel in the future.

He says the IDF used the days of the truce to prepare better for “total victory” against Hamas. After Hamas breached the truce, he says he ordered the IDF to “resume the fighting with growing force,” while continuing to act within international law.