Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in his office on Tuesday for the first time in half a year.
The Prime Minister noted at the beginning of his remarks that Israel has a very organized plan for the war and emphasized that there are still 20 hostages who are certainly alive.
He stressed that "if there is a chance for a temporary ceasefire to bring back hostages, we are ready for it."
This being said, he stated that Israel will continue to hit Hamas with full force. "Operation Gideon's Chariots began three days ago. Ask the residents of Sderot and the Gaza envelope - their houses are shaking from the force of the IDF's fire."
The Prime Minister declared: "Our forces are seizing more and more territories in Gaza. At the end, all of the territories in the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control."
Regarding the entry of humanitarian aid, Netanyahu stated: "We need to prevent a humanitarian crisis. I hear from the close friends of our country: 'We will give the support, including in the Security Council, but there's one thing that we won't accept: we will not accept a humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
Regarding the Iranian nuclear talks, he stated: "We are in full coordination with the US and hope that there will be a deal that will prevent Iran from enriching uranium. Israel maintains the right to defend itself against the regime that seeks its destruction."
The Prime Minister admitted that "10% of the aid trucks that go in are seized by Hamas."
Asked how it is possible to ensure that the hostages would not be harmed by the fighting, he answered: "We are working not to harm the hostages, and we are investing a lot of effort to get the hostages out. The military and diplomatic pressure and trickery will bring results."
The Prime Minister was also asked if he knew that his aides were in contact with the Qataris, as is being investigated. "I didn't know, and there is a big lie here; they say that I got a huge fortune from Qatar. Whoever says that will be sued. I've attacked Qatar, and others from the Shin Bet praised Qatar. Yonatan Urich encouraged me to attack Qatar. I don't want to list all the people who get money from Qatar. I didn't get a cent. I know that you don't stop echoing this propaganda."
Regarding claims that Qatari money that he allowed to be transferred to Hamas led to October 7th, he said: "The money that was transferred to Hamas was done so by the recommendation of the Shin Bet and Mossad. The money was used for sewage and electricity. The Qatari money is not what led to October 7th. The terrorists attacked us with flip-flops, Kalashnikovs, and pickup trucks - that costs pennies."
