Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he agrees to end the war in Gaza if Hamas is defeated, its leaders exiled and the Strip is demilitarized.
For the first time in 163 days, Netanyahu faced the press at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Since his last briefing in December, Netanyahu has made several public statements, posted lengthy videos on social media and given “interviews” — exclusively to his advisor, Topaz Luk — but has not answered questions from the press.
At the start of his remarks, Netanyahu offered condolences to the families of Sgt. Yosef Yehuda Chayek and Staff Sgt. Danilo Mokanu, who were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip. He then addressed the situation of the hostages, stating that "there are definitively 20 hostages still alive and up to 38 killed." He added, “If there is an opportunity for a temporary cease-fire to bring more hostages home — and I stress, a temporary cease-fire — we are prepared for it.”
Netanyahu hinted that Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza. Listing Israel's war aims, he said, “These goals are interlinked, and we are committed to achieving them fully. We've accomplished a great deal, but the work is not done. We have a very clear plan. We began in Gaza, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, and took out top murderers — Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and likely also Mohammed Sinwar.”
The prime minister said, “Three days ago, together with Defense Minister Katz, I ordered the launch of another stage in the war for our national resurgence. Our forces are delivering massive blows that will intensify against Hamas strongholds in Gaza. Ask the residents of Sderot, Netivot, Beersheba and the Gaza envelope — their homes are shaking not from Hamas rockets but from the overwhelming firepower of the IDF.”
“Our forces are capturing more territory to cleanse it of terrorists and Hamas infrastructure,” he said. “At the end of this operation, all of Gaza will be under Israeli security control and Hamas will be fully defeated. To ensure our operational freedom and allow our allies to continue supporting us, we must also enable the entry of humanitarian aid.”
He added, “True and dear friends of Israel are telling me: ‘We support you fully, we’re sending you weapons, backing you at the UN Security Council, eliminate these monsters — but we cannot accept a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.’ At the same time — and you all know this — Hamas loots much of the aid and sells the rest at exorbitant prices to fund its terror army. That’s how they finance their recruitment of terrorists. We eliminate them and they recruit with the money that enters via aid.”
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To address this, Netanyahu said, “We developed, together with the U.S., an alternative plan: distributing basic food aid for children. It will be rolled out in three phases. Phase one: immediate delivery of essential food into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis and allow the fighting to continue. Phase two: setting up food distribution centers run by American companies, secured by the IDF. Phase three: creating a sterile zone where civilians can be relocated for their protection.”
Netanyahu also outlined his conditions for ending the war: “I have news — I’m ready to end the fighting under clear conditions,” he said. “All hostages return, the Hamas leadership is exiled from Gaza and the group is disarmed — and then we begin implementing the Trump plan in Gaza.”
The press conference comes amid a stalemate in negotiations with Hamas over the release of hostages, mounting international pressure and silence from the United States.