Netanyahu said: "Israeli citizens, we are in an existential war against the Axis of Evil led by Iran. The first condition for victory is unity among us. We must stand united as one against a cruel enemy that wants to destroy us all without exception.
Left and right, religious and secular, Jews and non-Jews. We discovered this not only on October 7 but throughout the war. It became even more evident with the horrific massacre of our kidnapped loved ones: Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hirsch Goldberg-Pollin, Sasha Lubanov, Almog Sarusi, Uri Danino – may their memory be blessed.
In the past 24 hours, I spoke with their families and while talking, I looked at the pictures of these pure souls, and my heart shattered into pieces. You see the light emanating from them, their nobility and hope. All this purity was cut short by the cruel hand of Hamas. I told the families I ask for your forgiveness for not bringing them back alive; we were close but could not succeed.
Israel will not overlook this massacre; Hamas will pay a heavy price.”
In this specific war against Hamas, we set four goals: to dismantle Hamas, retrieve our hostages, ensure Gaza does not pose a threat, and restore security to the northern residents. Three of these objectives go through one channel: the Philadelphi Route.
I will explain the significance of this route and why it is crucial to ensure there will be no more October 7ths.
Netanyahu proceeded to show a presentation explaining the strategic importance of the Philadelphi Route and then asked and answered questions:
The question arises: why didn’t you capture the route if it is so important?
There was constant armament, and we fought them in a series of wars: Operation Protective Edge, Pillar of Defense, Operation Cast Lead. We eliminated senior officials, but there was no national or international legitimacy to re-capture the Philadelphi Route. This route will not be evacuated; if we relinquish control, Gaza will become a terror enclave.
Netanyahu clarified: "The Axis of Evil needs the Philadelphi Route. That’s why Hamas insists we should not be there. And that’s why I insist that we stay there."
As early as 2004, I said if Israel relinquishes control of the route, Gaza will become a terror enclave. In 2005, I told Sharon that the minimum requirement was to keep the route under our control. This is not new. It was clear that without this route, there would be armament and the creation of a monster. The Axis of Evil needs the Philadelphi Route. For that reason, we must control the route.
Hamas insists on this because they don’t want us there, and that’s why I insist that we stay.
They ask me – why not withdraw, what’s the problem? I said we’ve been in this movie before. We were when we withdrew from Lebanon; the first rocket hit, and we had to re-capture the area with international legitimacy.
We said we withdrew from Gaza, what’s the problem? The first rocket hit, and we had to enter. Twenty years have passed, and we haven’t entered. So anyone who says we should enter, there are indeed problems. It’s not easy to do. It’s a matter of immense international political pressure – if we withdraw, we can’t go back.
I can tell you how hard it was to enter Rafah; see what we paid. We faced immense pressure, in The Hague. We endured an arms embargo. We paid with our soldiers' lives. But that’s nothing compared to what will be directed at us if we withdraw from Philadelphi. Everyone just wants us to finish the war.
This route is different from all others; it is central and determines the future. The immense importance is clear. The world will not want us to enter again, in the Security Council – I won’t elaborate. Why should we fall into this trap? We are told it is possible, and this won’t bring us the hostages, on the contrary.
When we entered Philadelphi, we felt a change. For months after the first deal, Hamas insisted we declare the end of the war. The first crack was when we entered Rafah and took control of the route. Later, they retreated a bit because they thought Iran or Hezbollah would come to save them, and now they hope for international pressure.
After the sacrifices, we realized that controlling the route could help us get the hostages and prevent them from being smuggled above ground into Sinai. It’s a matter of meters, and they disappear. They could appear in Iran or Yemen. Absolutely not. This is a terrible trap, not a military tactical question but a political one.
After all this, we will not give up and fall into this terrible trap. It’s a political question. Security officials said there was no problem withdrawing from the strip during the disengagement. After October 7, we learned to be cautious in assessments and see all the elements of the picture. Unfortunately, despite our commitment to achieving a deal, we have not seen a similar response from Hamas. We agreed to the framework presented by President Biden on May 31. We agreed to what they called the final bridging text on August 16.
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