Netanyahu: We Will Take Control Of Gaza, Provide Aid

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel would be taking complete military control of the Gaza Strip.

Pointing out that the only current alternative to Israeli military control is Hamas control of the strip, and that Hamas retains dozens of Israeli hostages, Netanyahu explained, “We are going to take control of all the areas of the Gaza Strip. That is what we are going to do.”

As part of the operation to defeat Hamas, Netanyahu also explained his government’s decision to provide what he called “minimal, basic” aid to civilians in Gaza during the operation: “We must not reach a state of starvation, both from a practical and a political perspective. The world will not support us; we will not be able to complete the mission of victory.”

The method to be implemented, Netanyahu stated, was formulated alongside the United States: “The method is the establishment of distribution points that are secured by the IDF, preventing Hamas’ access, and allowing American companies to distribute the food and medicine aid to the population.”

Acknowledging that many members of his government disagreed with his decision surrounding humanitarian aid, Netanyahu continued, “You need leadership to do the right thing that allows us to achieve victory. Because it is not popular. Because people do not understand all the considerations. But my responsibility is to lead this war in a way that we achieve victory and even if it sometimes requires making decisions that the public does not understand, and that ministers deny — by the way, privately many agree but they are under pressure, I understand that.”

Asked about the freeing of the hostages, Netanyahu said that the defeat of Hamas was a necessary precondition to the freeing of the hostages.