Seizing Gaza City Fastest Path to End War, Says Netanyahu

Tel Aviv/New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his government's plan to take full military control of Gaza City. He called it the 'fastest and most effective way to end the war'.

In a press conference, Netanyahu said that Israel has no choice but to escalate its military operation because of Hamas' continued refusal to lay down its arms. "Due to Hamas' refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and completely defeat Hamas," he said. He further said that the Israeli army already controls 70-75 percent of Gaza.

This military action has been heavily criticized by the international community, especially some of Israel's close Western allies, which have expressed fears of a humanitarian crisis. Netanyahu dismissed this criticism as 'false propaganda'. He said that this operation is not only aimed at defeating Hamas quickly, but is also being carried out with the aim of causing minimal harm to civilians. He also said that the Israeli army will allow Gaza citizens to move to safe areas, where they will be provided food, water and health facilities.

He reiterated that Israel's policy has always been to prevent humanitarian crisis, while Hamas' strategy has been to create crisis. Netanyahu said that Israel has delivered about 2 million tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza since the war began. He said, "If we had a policy of starving to death, no one would have survived in Gaza in two years of war." He also said that additional humanitarian measures are being discussed with the US. This includes intensifying efforts to deliver relief material through land and airdrops and increasing the capacity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution centers. We hope that other international organizations, including the United Nations, will also join this campaign in the future. He has also criticized the UN's role in Gaza in the past.

Netanyahu claimed that 'only Israeli hostages' are being deliberately kept in Gaza, which is occupied by Hamas. He accused the global media of relying on false photographs and figures released by Hamas. The pictures being shown of hungry children are either wrong or fake. Netanyahu described such propaganda as a precursor to anti-Semitic violence. He said, "Before every Holocaust, the Jewish community was massively defamed."

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