On the eve of the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. commentator Ben Shapiro in a podcast interview that “we are close to ending the war — but not there yet.”
In the 20‑minute interview, published overnight Tuesday, Netanyahu misstated the number of hostages, saying “what began in Gaza will end in Gaza — with the release of our 46 hostages and the end of Hamas’ rule,” despite 48 Israelis being held by the terror group. He added that 20 of them are alive — the officially confirmed figure in Israel.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Ben Shapiro
(Photo: Screengrab)
Netanyahu opened the interview by recalling Oct. 7 as “the most horrific event the Jewish people have known since the Holocaust,” saying “everyone thought Israel was finished, but two years later we shattered the Iran axis and its branches.”
With Israeli and Hamas negotiating in Cairo under U.S. auspices to advance a Trump‑backed peace and hostage‑release plan, Netanyahu said “Hamas has not yet been destroyed, but we will get there,” and warned that Hezbollah, Syria and the Houthis also have taken heavy hits. “Israel emerged from that day as the strongest state in the region — but missions remain to complete the victory.”
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with Ben Shapiro
(Photo: Screengrab)
He praised his cooperation with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Trump “turned the tables” on Hamas. “Together we succeeded in putting the world before reality,” he said, citing pressure on global backers of Hamas.
Asked about Trump’s “America First” doctrine, Netanyahu responded: “Naturally a state looks after itself first, but ‘America First’ does not mean ‘America alone.’ Great powers need allies. Israel is a fighting ally, bearing the burden. We don’t ask for American ground troops — we have defended ourselves for 77 years.”
He claimed Iranian missiles could one day reach U.S. soil and that Israel was acting to protect America. He asserted Israel neutralized Iran’s intercontinental nuclear‑capable missile program with Trump’s help, without a full invasion of Tehran or mass American casualties.
Netanyahu also said Israel developed “the most advanced offensive weapons in the world — ones even great powers don’t have” in cooperation with the U.S. He did not elaborate on details.
He described his relationship with Trump as “warm — public and private — though we don’t agree on everything, there is genuine partnership.” He credited Trump for restoring U.S. global leadership and called that a sincere assessment, not a cliché.
Recalling his recent “Super-Sparta speech,” Netanyahu repeated Israel’s goal of achieving security independence just as it did economic independence. He said Israel would share its defense innovations with the U.S. but would not require assistance to survive. He forecast incorporating AI into U.S.–Israel cooperation in the near future.
Netanyahu predicted the Abraham Accords will expand once “the work in Gaza is done.” He said Israel could reach additional peace deals—not only in the Middle East, but with Muslim‑majority nations farther afield. “But first we must end the war in Gaza, and I hope to do it soon, with Trump’s help.”
He emphasized that “you cannot ‘end’ while leaving Hamas in power, with rockets aimed at us. A real end means freeing all our hostages, removing Hamas from power and ensuring Gaza can never again threaten Israel or regional peace.”
He closed by reaffirming the longing for hostage returns: “We want to see our hostages home, and we are close, though not there yet. At the same time, we can look back and acknowledge an astounding fact — from the deepest despair we rose, and became once again the dominant power in the Middle East — perhaps stronger than ever. And that is a thing we can truly give thanks for.”