Netanyahu says war will continue until all parts of Gaza under Israeli control

Wyre Davies
reporting from Jerusalem

Image source, EPA

Benjamin Netanyahu was in defensive mode, sticking to his guns and unfazed by critics – foreign and domestic – of his decision to step up the war in Gaza.

Operation Gideon’s Chariots is intended to “complete the war, the job”, said the Israeli Prime Minister at a rare press conference tonight to which only Israeli media were invited.

In between questions about his many legal and political problems at home, Netanyahu said he’d instructed the Ministry of Defence to “open another phase” of the war in Gaza and to land “huge blows that will gradually overcome the remaining Hamas outposts”.

Despite growing calls from Israel’s European allies to end the war and address Gaza’s dire humanitarian needs, as long as he has the backing of the United States to continue the war in Gaza, Netanyahu indicated he will not change tack.

He said that his controversial aid plan for Gaza, which would bypass existing UN structures and facilities, would give Israel “another tool to win the war”. It’s a plan that has been widely condemned by the UN and foreign governments as akin to “weaponising food aid”.

He dismissed yesterday’s strong words from the UK government, saying it was “a shame that Britain, instead of imposing sanctions on Hamas, imposes sanctions on a woman [settler leader Daniella Weiss].” He also accused the British government and others of coming “under pressure from Islamic minorities” in their own countries.

The Israeli prime minister has been frequently criticised at home for appearing to prioritise defeating Hamas over the return of remaining hostages. But he insisted tonight that he was “investing a lot of effort” and that “we will not be able to get them out without military measures”.

An increasing number of Israelis support a ceasefire, even if it means a deal with Hamas, suggest recent opinion polls. It appears they don’t believe the prime minister’s war goals are compatible with the hostages’ welfare nor Israel’s war-weary economy and its deteriorating standing abroad.