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.
Netanyahu said in his opening remarks that, in light of the cabinet's decision to take over 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 told the reporters that Israel has brought 2 million tons of aid into Gaza. "I don't know of another army that allowed such an amount of aid into a war zone. If we had a starvation policy, no one would survive after two years. Our policy is the opposite. Hamas looted the food, deliberately created a shortage, and the UN refused until recently to distribute the thousands of trucks that we allowed to enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom. There were tons of food that was not collected and rotted because the UN refused to let it in."
He said that Israel will create "safe corridors" for the distribution of aid and increase the activity of distribution centers by the GHF and airdrops made by the Air Force, "and we invite others to join."
"The idea is a flood of humanitarian aid. Hundreds of trucks have entered Gaza, but that does not prevent the global campaign of lies that we have seen. In Gaza, despite Hamas' obstacles, 2 million people have access to aid. But I will tell you who is not receiving aid - the only ones who are deliberately starving in Gaza are our hostages," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu presented a harsh picture of the kidnapped Evyatar David. "Look at his arms, the monsters of Hamas starved him on purpose," he said, and pointed to the fleshy arm of his Hamas captor: "He eats well."
According to Netanyahu, the purpose of the press conference is "to expose the lies and spread the truth. But lies are widespread in the world - just as Jews were vilified in the Middle Ages - back then it was said that Jews spread germs, poisoned wells and slaughtered Christian children for blood. That lies were spread in the world and were followed by terrible pogroms, the greatest of which was the Holocaust. Today, the Jewish state is being vilified in a similar way."
Netanyahu also presented pictures of "fake photos spread by Hamas," showing emaciated Gazan children in poor health. "The first picture is of Osama al-Yaakoub. This is how he looks today, it's a genetic disease that's causing him to lose weight. Israel helped him get the appropriate assistance and flew him to Italy. In the second picture is a child with a genetic problem that's causing him to lose weight. The third picture is the main picture of the New York Times, and it's Mohammed al-Mutawaq. His mother is not starving and his brother looks healthy. I hope you open your eyes to simple facts - Hamas lies."
In response to a question directed at him regarding the political future of the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said, "We do not want to stay in Gaza. That is not my goal, nor that of those who disagree with me. The goal is to ensure that Hamas will not be there and that whoever is there will not pay for terrorism, will not be educated in terrorism. There are candidates - I do not want to spoil the chances of success because I believe they are real."
He was asked about Germany's decision to stop the transfer of weapons that could be used by Israel in the war in Gaza, and replied: "I respect Friedrich Merz. He was a good friend of Israel, but he succumbed under the pressure of false media reports. Maybe some forget October 7, we do not forget and we will do what is necessary to protect our country, our citizens and its future. We will win the war with or without the support of others."
The prime minister said he plans to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump "soon," adding: "I think we didn't win the battle of consciousness, there were strong forces working against us. The social media algorithms are against us. People tell me that 60% of the responses are blunt, especially in America, who want to attack the support Israel has from the Republican side. This is a big deal, we have to deal with it and tell the truth - if you want to win the war and end it quickly - expose the lies and end it quickly. That's how you will win the propaganda war, and the time has come to do that."
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Hamas accused Netanyahu on Sunday of telling "a series of lies" during the press conference.
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to lie, deceive, and seek to mislead the public. Everything he said at the press conference is a series of lies. He is incapable of facing the truth and instead works to distort and conceal it,” Taher al-Nounou, media advisor to the head of Hamas's political bureau, told AFP.
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.
Late last month, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the United Kingdom would join the wave of recognition if Israel did not "change course in the Gaza Strip," and conditioned recognition on reforms in the Palestinian Authority. Germany later called for "the recognition process to begin," and only yesterday German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin would not transfer weapons to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip.
First published: 16:39, 08.10.25