Netanyahu in fresh remarks on the Gaza war, the hostages and Iran
The main comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin at a Jerusalem press conference on Wednesday in which he discussed the Gaza war and tensions with Iran:
- Gaza hostages -
"There are certainly 20 living hostages remaining, and up to 38 deceased. We will bring them all back."
"If there is an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire to bring back more hostages — and I emphasize: a temporary ceasefire — we are prepared for that."
- Iran -
"We hope an agreement can be reached (with the United States) to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. That would mean denying Iran the ability to enrich uranium."
"If such a deal is reached — of course, we would welcome it. But let me be clear: the state of Israel reserves the right to defend itself against a regime that threatens to destroy us."
- Gaza offensive -
"Our forces are taking more and more territory to clear it of terrorists and Hamas terror infrastructure. At the end of this campaign, all of Gaza’s territory will be under Israeli security control, and Hamas will be completely defeated."
- Gaza humanitarian crisis -
"To maintain our operational freedom and to ensure our best allies can continue to support us, we must avoid a humanitarian crisis."
- Ending the war -
"I’m ready to end the war under clear conditions that guarantee Israel’s security".
"Anyone calling for us to stop fighting before these goals are achieved is essentially calling to leave Hamas in power."
"We must complete three missions in Gaza: eliminate Hamas, free the hostages, and ensure Gaza is set on a new course. We're proceeding decisively, but carefully—to minimize IDF (Israeli army) casualties. This won’t take another year and a half, I promise. I won’t reveal our plans or timeline—but we are determined to finish this."
Source: Agence France Presse
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