In Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a televised address on Saturday pushing back against calls for a cease-fire, stating that Israel’s battle against Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorists will continue with “full force”. Netanyahu insisted that a cease-fire would only be possible if all 239 hostages held by militants in Gaza are released, and he also stated that Gaza would be demilitarized and Israel would retain security control there after the war.
When asked about what he meant by security control, Netanyahu said Israeli forces must be able to enter Gaza freely to hunt down terrorists. He also rejected the idea that the Palestinian Authority, which administers autonomous areas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, would at some stage control Gaza. Both of these positions are contrary to post-war scenarios floated by Israel’s closest ally, the United States. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the United States opposes an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza and envisions a unified Palestinian government in both Gaza and the West Bank at some stage as a step toward Palestinian statehood.
Netanyahu emphasized that “the war against [Hamas] is advancing with full force, and it has one goal, to win. There is no alternative to victory.”