06/12/2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks this evening, at his press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv:
"Citizens of Israel, good evening.
This week we will light the first candle of Chanukah. Our soldiers will bring light to the darkness, in the alleyways of Gaza, in the ruins of Sajaiya, in the terrorist lairs in Khan Yunis. The lights together, as a great light, will cleave the darkness.
Our soldiers are the heirs of the Maccabees. Today, as then, they are fighting with bravery, utmost heroism and determination. And today, like then, we will pray together for their well-being. We will pray together for peace in our land: 'To Your people Israel, you worked a great salvation.'
Citizens of Israel, today, I and my colleagues in the War Cabinet met with the families of the hostages – those whom we have already succeeded in returning home and those for whom we are doing everything to return. I heard heartbreaking stories. I heard about thirst, about hunger, about mental and physical abuse, about young children who are still whispering out of fear, about the great darkness in which their loved ones are being held.
I heard, as you have, about the sexual abuse and r**es of unparalleled brutality. But I must say that up until a few days ago, I did not hear the human rights organizations. I did not hear the women's organizations. I did not hear the UN. I did not hear them crying out. And I say to them: 'Where are you? You are being silent because they are Jewish women?' I want to say this in a language that everyone understands:
I say to the women's rights organizations, to the human rights organizations, you've heard of the r**e of Israeli women, horrible atrocities, sexual mutilation.
Where the hell are you? I expect all civilized leaders, governments, nations, to speak up against this atrocity.
I fully share the deep concern of the families whose loved ones are still being held in Gaza. I understand the uncertainty. I understand the unbearable difficulty. I told the families that we will spare no effort to return their loved ones. Bringing all of our hostages home is one of the three main goals that we determined for the war, and these goals reinforce each other.
We check every piece of information. I want you to know that there is a vast intelligence effort dealing only with this, around the clock. We are working prudently and responsibly. We are working to bring all of our hostages home safely. And I say all of them – male and female soldiers, male and female civilians, young and old, everyone, without exception. In every decision, the return of the hostages stands before our eyes, and we are on the right path.
Today I saw little Emilia Aloni, six years old, returning to kindergarten. The teacher hugged her. Her friends hugged her. For one moment in these dark days, the heart filled with joy – and these days this is something. We succeeded in returning home 110 hostages by a combination of a ground incursion of unprecedented strength and a continuous diplomatic effort. And I tell you – this is the only way to also return the hostages who are still in Hamas captivity, and we are committed to doing so.
Hamas tried to break us up – we will break it up. Many of the murderers were from the Sajaiya Battalion, they broke through the fence, went to nearby communities and perpetrated these atrocities. Therefore, at the start of the week, we eliminated the commander of the Sajaiya Battalion, who oversaw many of the horrific acts on October 7th as well as many other acts of murder. As of now, we have eliminated around half of Hamas's battalion commanders. We are settling accounts with all those who abducted, with all those who were involved, and with all those who murdered, massacred, r***d and burned the daughters and sons of our people. We will neither forgive nor forget.
We have ordered the IDF to continue the war. Our soldiers are expanding the ground operation against Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip, including in the southern Gaza Strip. Tonight we operated there with great force. The ground shook in Khan Yunis and Jebalya. We have encircled them both. There is no place we cannot reach. We took control of the base of Hamas General Security. Our brave soldiers are fighting the murderers with great force. They are conducting face-to-face battles. They are eliminating many terrorists around the clock. In every battle, in every battle, we have the upper hand. We are fighting until the end, until absolute victory.
Our fighting men and women are the embodiment of the resilience and determination of the entire nation. But all of this has an unbearable price. Every loss is heart-rending. Ben Sussman fell this week in the battles in Gaza. Ben was a soldier in the combat engineers. Ben was a hero of Israel, the salt of the earth, an outstanding athlete. He was a soldier with every fiber of his being. Four friends from his school – Himmelfarb High School in Jerusalem – fell together with Ben. We also lost Aner Shapira, a Nahal Brigade soldier who saved the lives of many at Reim after he threw back seven grenades. To our sorrow, we also lost his comrades Ariel Reich, an armored corps officer, Shachar Friedman, a paratrooper, and Dvir Barzani, also a paratrooper.
This evening I say to the families of Ben, Aner, Ariel, Shachar and Dvir, and I tell the dear families of every one of our fallen heroes: Your loved ones, our loved ones, did not fall in vain. We will fight together, we will be victorious, we will destroy Hamas.
We will fight until victory, until we achieve all of our goals: Returning all of the hostages, eliminating Hamas and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel. We will ensure that there will be no element there that supports terrorism, educates for terrorism, and finances terrorism and the terrorists' families.
I want to say an additional word about 'the day after Hamas': Gaza must be demilitarized. And in order for Gaza to be demilitarized, there is only one force that can see to this demilitarization – and that force is the IDF. No international force can be responsible for this. We have seen what has happened in other places where they brought in international forces for the goal of demilitarization. I am not prepared to close my eyes and accept any other arrangement. I again call on the civilian population in Gaza to leave the areas in which we are fighting Hamas.
I say here to our friends in the world who are pressing for a quick end to the war: Our only way to end the war, and end it quickly, is to apply crushing pressure against Hamas – and destroy it. If our friends want to help shorten the war, which is also their war against the barbarism that threatens to engulf the world, they simply need to stand steadfast alongside us.
And I say to them in English and in every language:
Stand with us.
Stand with Israel.
Stand with civilization!
Citizens of Israel, on my many visits in the field, I meet our heroic fighting men and women from the IDF, the ISA and the police. One of the soldiers, named Ariel, from the armored corps, spoke to me from atop his tank inside Gaza. In his tank, as in others in the field, are religious and secular, Jews and non-Jews, right-wingers and left-wingers. They are all fighting together. They are all imbued with a great spirit – of unity, comradeship and victory.
At the start of Chanukah, let us recall the heroism of the Maccabees then and the Maccabees of our time. Thanks to them, and with G-d's help, together we will win."
