Posted on 03/18/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation from the Kirya in Tel Aviv this evening (Tuesday), following the surprise airstrikes launched by the IAF against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip early this morning.
"We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials," Netanyahu stated.
"This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve the goals of the war and the promise that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel," he said. "From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire."
"We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but on the other hand Hamas rejected every proposal. I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting," he added.
Addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Netanyahu stated that "Israel does not target Palestinian civilians. We target Hamas terrorists. And when these terrorists embed themselves in civilian areas, when they use civilians as human shields, they are the ones who are responsible for all unintended casualties."
He advised that "Palestinian civilians should avoid any contact with Hamas terrorists, and I call on the people of Gaza, get out of harm’s way. Move to safer areas. Because every civilian casualty is a tragedy and every civilian casualty is the fault of Hamas."
"I thank President Trump for his unwavering support for Israel. Our alliance with the United States has never been stronger," he said.
Netanyahu continued, "To those who criticize Israel, I ask, what would you do if terrorists murdered and kidnapped your children? You would do what we are doing. In the face of pure evil, free societies have no choice but to fight. So, I want to assure all our friends around the world, Israel will fight and Israel will win. We will bring our people home and we will destroy Hamas.
"We will not relent until we achieve all these vital goals and we will not rest until we give our country a future of peace, prosperity and hope," he said.