Six weeks into the war and two weeks into the ground maneuver, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz are holding a joint press conference this evening (Saturday).
Watch live: the press conference of Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz:
Netanyahu opened his statement with the words: "First of all, I would like to send condolences to the families of the martyrs, to whom more martyrs were added yesterday. We are doing everything to be worthy of their sacrifice. We will not stop until the mission is completed. The war has one goal, to win. There is no substitute for victory.
"We will eliminate Hamas. IDF forces have completed the encirclement of Gaza City. They are on the outskirts of Shifa Hospital. Hamas lost control of the northern Gaza Strip. All Hamas members are mortal. We will continue to hit Hamas, above and below the ground. Until the victory".
There will be no ceasefire without the return of the abductees
"We are prepared on the northern front, operating under aggressive fire. I warned Hezbollah, don't make mistakes that will ruin your fate. The IDF also operates on other fronts, in Syria, the Red Sea.
"The recovery of our abductees is the main goal of the war. Regarding the abductees, my directive is clear that there will be no ceasefire without the return of the abductees. The holding of contacts is carried out with the assistance of Dedi Barnea and Nitzan Alon. We will not expand beyond that.
"To the leaders of the Arab countries who care about the future of their countries and the Middle East, I say to them, you must stand up against Hamas. I am in almost daily contact with Biden, appreciate the submarine, assistance and moral support of the American people. I say to the Americans, you too must mobilize for the goal of eliminating Hamas. There are other voices and we are fighting them. From time to time there are also disagreements because there are minorities who press them. And I tell them don't give in to the pressure - our war is also your war."
Gaza will be demilitarized
On the goals of the fighting, Netanyahu said: "Gaza will be demilitarized. There will no longer be a threat from Gaza to the State of Israel. The IDF will continue to control security in the Gaza Strip to prevent terrorism. The massacre proved that wherever there is no security control, terrorism strikes. I will not agree to give up security control under any circumstances."
Gallant: Beirut will be like Gaza
Gallant: "Hamas is under great pressure, these days it is getting stronger. They hear from the tunnels the bulldozers and tanks overhead."
On the northern sector, Gallant said: "Hezbollah is playing with fire. The Air Force is turning its noses northward. The citizens of Lebanon should know that if Hezbollah makes a mistake, Lebanon's fate will be like Gaza's.
"I hear from some of the world leaders and ask where this nerve comes from to preach morality to us in the midst of war. I want to say to those European leaders, the State of Israel 2023 is not in 1933. We have the ability and duty to protect ourselves."
Gallant summed up the purpose of the war: "There will be no terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip. We still have long days of fighting ahead of us that require courage, fortitude and mental strength."
Gantz: Reality necessitates regime change in Gaza
"It is important to us that the whole world knows that Israeli society is united and strong. That we will stand together.
"I would like to say to the leaders of the world, there is no more moral fighting than fighting to live in security. We must pressure Hamas because it has brought destruction. Whoever shook the hand of the leader of Iran knows what she did and knows what she is doing. The reality requires a change of the Gaza regime."
The goal of the war is to restore security to the State of Israel
During the question and answer phase, Netanyahu said that he opposes the Palestinian Authority controlling the Gaza Strip at the end of the war.
On the security of the residents at the borders: "The goal of the war is to restore security to the State of Israel. Both in the Gaza Strip and in the north.
"After the war the defense budget will increase. The army will grow. I thought that even before. There will be active protection along all our borders in a way that was not there before. We will restore the settlements and the kibbutzim. They will bloom even more."
Regarding the suitcases of money and the containment of Hamas, Netanyahu said: "The policy was not to contain Hamas and strengthen it. The policy was to strike at it in the latest operations. We hit them hard. But we didn't uproot them. We will do that now."
Regarding Amichai Eliyahu's statement, Netanyahu said: "Minister Eliyahu said incorrect things. If he does it again, he will not be in the government."
On the return of the settlement in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu said: "I will not return the settlement."
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