Thread by @EylonALevy

🧵Netanyahu is giving his first international press conference since the Security Cabinet decided to expand the military operation in Gaza:

Netanyahu says Hamas still has 1000s of armed terrorists and is threatening more October 7s "again and again". Gazans are begging to be freed. No country can tolerate such a regime a stone's throw from its citizens. Israel's goal is to free Gaza from Hamas.

Netanyahu: War ends tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages. Gaza demilitarized, security perimeter established with overall Israeli security control, and a non-Israeli civilian administration that seeks to live at peace with Israel.

Netanyahu: Given Hamas' refusal to lay down its arms, Israel "has no choice but to finish the job" and complete the defeat of Hamas. Most of Gaza under Israel's control, but Hamas has two remaining strongholds: Gaza City and Central Camps.

Israel will allow civilians to leave combat zones to designated safe zones, where they can get humanitarian aid. Israel wants to prevent humanitarian crisis, Hamas wants to create one. Israel has let in nearly 2 million tons of aid, no precedent in military history.

Netanyahu says the Security Cabinet's plan to seize Gaza City is the surest way to end the war—quickly.

Netanyahu: if Israel had a "starvation policy", nobody would have survived two years of war. But Hamas violently hijacking aid and UN refusing to collect aid rotting on the Gazan side of the crossing.

Israel is steering a "humanitarian surge" in three ways: 1) designating "safe corridors for aid distribution", 2) increasing number of GHF safe distribution points, 3) airdrops by Israeli Air Force, other nations invited to join.

Netanyahu: The only people being deliberately starved in Gaza are the hostages. Look at Evyatar David, and look at the Hamas' captor's arm: "he's eating well."

Netanyahu: Every massacre of Jews in Middle Ages was preceded by mass vilification about poisoning wells, spreading plague, etc... Culminating in the Holocaust. "Today the Jewish state is being maligned in a similar way." International press has fallen for Hamas' claims.

I know this is a digression, but isn't there a single English speaker at the PMO who could insist on consistent capitalization? Why is "eyes" lower case? No clue.

Netanyahu: Israel wants to evacuate Gaza City like Rafah, go into Hamas' last and most important stronghold. Israel talking about a "fairly short timetable" because we want to bring the war to an end.

📰Netanyahu was asked why foreign media can't go into Gaza. He says he gave directive 2 days ago for the IDF to bring in more foreign journalists. "I think you should see it". They should see physical destruction of buildings boobytrapped by Hamas.

NETANYAHU ON HOSTAGES:

Goal is to get all 20 out alive, and also the dead hostages. Early in war, senior commander said we have to get used to the idea we're not going to see one of them alive, I said we'll get most and possibly all if we apply military & diplomatic pressure.

Out of 255 hostages, 205 already out, of whom 148 alive. If we don't do anything, won't get them out.

Option of a war of attrition from defensive positions has not proved itself, won't get them out but will drag us into protracted conflict that won't bring the war to an end. "Various creative ways" to get hostages out, won't go into it.

NETANYAHU: "I don't want to prolong the war, I want to end it"

Other options would have prolonged the war forever, unless you're willing to say Israel capitulates and lets Hamas rearm and prepare for the next October 7 Massacre — and even then, we wouldn't all the hostages back. Prolonging the war means they'd be starved to death.

Netanyahu: "Several candidates" for "transitional authority" in Gaza. Goal is Hamas won't be there, and whoever replaces Hamas won't pay for or launch terrorism. But won't "spoil chances of succeeding" by naming them. Nobody is going to go in there unless Israel finishes Hamas.

Netanyahu: Chancellor Merz has "buckled under pressure" of false TV reports. We won't forget October 7, will do whatever it takes to defend our country and future. "We will win the war, with or without the support of others." Issue is that leaders privately say Israel is right but they can't withstand public pressure. "That's your problem, it's not our problem."

Netanyahu: Countries saying, "Israel has a right to defend itself" are also saying, "Don't exercise that right." If the same happened to Western countries, they'd do what we're doing but probably not as efficiently & precisely.

Netanyahu: Palestinians' goal is not creation of a state, but destruction of one—Israel. Defies reason that world leaders and journalists fall for this absurdity. They were offered statehood multiple times and turned it down. PA wants to reduce Israel to "indefensible boundaries" and then deliver its blow. You don't need Israeli intel to know this. No difference with Hamas on the goal: no Israel.

The solution is that the Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves where they live, none of the powers to threaten Israel. To give them an independent state is to invite a "future war".

NETANYAHU: "We will not commit national suicide to get a good op-ed."