Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on his commitment to prolong Israel’s genocidal aggression in Gaza, vowing to continue the bombardment.

The remarks, which dismissed growing domestic and international criticism, come amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and stalled efforts to secure the release of 59 Israeli hostages.

Netanyahu claimed Israel has “no choice” but to persist in its war against Hamas, citing the group’s rejection of an Israeli ceasefire proposal that demanded Gaza’s disarmament while offering no permanent end to the conflict—conditions Hamas has consistently rejected. “If we surrender to Hamas’s demands now, all the tremendous achievements gained by our soldiers… will simply be lost,” he stated, framing the war as essential to Israel’s survival.

The Israeli leader’s rhetoric ignored the catastrophic toll on Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians, who face relentless airstrikes, starvation, and a blockade that has sealed border crossings for seven weeks, according to UN reports. Netanyahu also referenced former U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial vision of displacing Palestinians from Gaza to transform the enclave into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” a plan critics denounce as ethnic cleansing.

The Hostage Families Forum Headquarters sharply condemned Netanyahu’s statement, accusing him of prioritizing political posturing over the lives of the 59 hostages. “Netanyahu has no plan,” the group declared. “Many words and slogans will not hide the simple truth… What exactly is the State of Israel doing to immediately bring back all 59 hostages?”

Netanyahu’s remarks also touched on Iran, vowing to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, hours after U.S.-Iran nuclear talks concluded. The comments underscore his focus on regional confrontation while Gaza’s civilians bear the brunt of Israel’s ongoing aggression, which the UN has described as the enclave’s worst humanitarian crisis since October 2023. (ILKHA)