Netanyahu: "Let it be clear – this will be a prolonged war"

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke this morning (Sunday) at the beginning of the government meeting, in HaKirya in Tel Aviv, and told those present "Let it be clear - this will be a long war. We will fight to the end, until the abductees are returned, until Hamas is eliminated until we restore security in both the north and the south."

"This is a tough morning, after a very difficult day of fighting in Gaza," began Netanyahu. "I ask, on behalf of all members of the government and all of Israel, to send condolences to the families of our heroic fighters who fell in battle on their homes. Our hearts are with the families, grieving for the young lives cut short by enemy fire. We all send swift recovery to our wounded. The war exacts a heavy toll, but we have no choice but to continue to fight. Netanyahu: "The United States did not prevent us from military operations"

"Our forces have eliminated many terrorists until today. We continue with full force, until the end, until victory, until we achieve all our goals: the destruction of Hamas, the return of our captives, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to the State of Israel. Last night, I spoke again with President Biden. I appreciate the steadfastness of the United States in the Security Council, supporting our war effort. I told President Biden yesterday that we will fight until absolute victory – it will take some time. The U.S. understands this."

Netanyahu addressed the publication regarding the motive for not attacking Hezbollah and said, "I saw incorrect publications claiming that the United States prevented us from taking operational actions in the region – that is not true. Israel is a sovereign state. Our decisions in war are based on our operational considerations, and I will not expand on that. They are not dictated by external pressures. The decision on how to deploy our forces is an independent decision of the IDF, not anyone else."

"The goal is to fulfill the mission, in all our missions – first and foremost, the elimination of Hamas and the return of our captives, while doing everything to preserve the lives of our fighters. We all strengthen our heroic fighters in achieving all these goals. Together we will fight, and with the help of God – together we will win."