Opening a cabinet meeting, he said, “Those calling today to end the war without defeating Hamas are not only hardening Hamas’s stance and delaying the return of our hostages, they are also ensuring that the horrors of October will repeat themselves and that we will have to fight an endless war.”
Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s continued security control in Gaza as a condition for ending the war. “Hamas refuses these conditions. We insist not only on disarming Hamas but also on enforcing Gaza’s demilitarization over time, acting continuously against any attempt by terrorist groups to rearm or organize,” he said.
He warned that Hamas seeks the opposite. “It wants us completely out of the Gaza Strip — north, south through the Philadelphi corridor that prevents smuggling and from the security perimeter protecting our communities. This would allow them to reorganize, rearm and attack us again, threatening Nir Oz, Kisufim and Sderot.”
Thousands joined the nationwide strike demanding the return of 50 hostages held in Gaza for nearly two years, with companies, universities and municipalities supporting protests that blocked roads, disrupted train service and drew former hostages and families to rallies.