Against the backdrop of the unprecedented political drift against the State of Israel, and after several Western countries announced that they would recognize a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is holding a press conference for foreign media Sunday at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. At 8:00 p.m., Netanyahu will hold a press conference for the Israeli media. Ynet is broadcasting the press conferences live.
Netanyahu said in his opening remarks that, in light of the cabinet's decision to occupy the Strip, "the truth is that Hamas has thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza, and the organization wants to repeat the atrocities of October 7 and do so again and again. Hamas enslaves Gazans, steals food and shoots at those who try to cross to safe areas. The Gazans are begging us and the world – release us and liberate Gaza from Hamas. No government would allow a genocidal government in Gaza, and our goal is not to occupy Gaza, but to liberate it from Hamas terrorists."
Netanyahu added that the war "could end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the hostages." He presented his five principles for ending the war: "Gaza will be demilitarized, Israel will have responsibility for security, and security zones will be established on the borders to prevent invasions. A civilian government will be appointed in Gaza that will strive to live in peace with Israel. The civilian government will not educate its children in terrorism, will not pay for terrorism, and will not launch terrorist attacks against Israel. It will not be run by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority."
"In light of Hamas' refusal to lay down its weapons, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of the organization. We have 75% of Gaza under Israeli military control, but there are two more strong outposts: Gaza City and the central camps and the al-Mawasi area," the prime minister said. "The cabinet has instructed the IDF to neutralize the two Hamas outposts in Gaza and the central camps. Contrary to claims, this is the best way to end the war quickly. We will do this by allowing the civilian population to leave the combat zones for security zones – where they will receive food and medicine. Contrary to false claims, the policy throughout the war was to prevent a humanitarian disaster, while Hamas' policy was to create such a disaster."
Netanyahu's last press conference for foreign media was in September 2024, when many countries around the world were also pressuring Israel to advance a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a hostage deal. That press conference was held two days after Netanyahu made a statement that dealt at length with the Philadelphi Axis in the southern Gaza Strip, during which the prime minister was asked to explain what he meant when he said in April 2024 that Israel was "one step away from victory . "
Against the backdrop of the harsh images in the Gaza Strip and allegations of "starvation," and following domestic pressure, French President Emmanuel Macron announced last month that his country would recognize a Palestinian state in September . Macron's statement sparked a wave of similar announcements from leading Western countries, some of them significant allies of Israel, which declared that they too would recognize a state for the Palestinians.
