Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Saturday evening responded to a New York Times article entitled, "How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power," refuting the claims and slamming the publication for defaming Israel.
"The NYT article of July 11, 2025 rehashes long discredited claims of Prime Minister Netanyahu's political opponents," Netanyahu's office slammed. "It defames Israel, its brave people and soldiers, and its Prime Minister."
"The strategic decisions made by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet led Israel to one of the greatest military comebacks in history.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership brought about the covert detonation of Hezbollah pagers, the destruction of its missile stockpiles, the destruction of Assad's armaments, the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist chiefs and above all the decisive action against the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programs aimed at annihilating Israel.
"Contrary to the article's claims, Prime Minister Netanyahu was not a passive bystander in these achievements but led them forcefully, often against strong reservations from senior security officials who urged him to capitulate to Hamas's dictates and prematurely end the war. Had he done so, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and Iran's nuclear and missile programs would all still be intact today."
The statement stressed, "Those senior officials, whose anonymous politically motivated supporters are widely quoted throughout the article, have since been replaced. The most senior among them said at the beginning of the war that Israel is unlikely to see any of the hostages alive."
"Prime Minister Netanyahu disagreed. His policy of applying military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas has so far secured the return of 205 hostages out of a total of 255. Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to return them all.
"Contrary to the article's claims, there was no viable deal last year that Prime Minister Netanyahu turned down. Hamas continued to insist that Israel leave Gaza, enabling Hamas to regroup, rearm and threaten Israel's security again and again.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu's refusal to accept these impossible conditions, against the advice of senior officials, was based on a disagreement on policy and not on coalition considerations. When the Prime Minister achieved hostage release deals he deemed acceptable, he pushed them through even when his coalition partners voted against them and bolted the government.
"Prime Minister Netanyahu was never concerned with his political survival, but with his country's survival. He is carrying out his life's mission: securing the future of the one and only Jewish state."
In the article, published earlier Saturday, The New York Times Magazine claimed that Netanyahu intentionally prolonged the Gaza conflict to maintain political power. Claiming to draw from over 110 interviews with high-ranking Israeli officials and foreign diplomats, the report details how, in April 2024, a six-week ceasefire proposal was on the table but ultimately rejected. During a security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu allegedly instructed his advisors to withhold the ceasefire plan from public discussion. The alleged investigation's intent is to portray a leader prioritizing personal political survival over potential peace negotiations.