Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his first interview with a Hebrew-language outlet since Hamas's October 7 terror.
Netanyahu told the right-wing Channel 14 program "The Patriots" that intensive military actions against Hamas in Gaza will conclude within the next month, after which the dismantling of Hamas's military and governing capabilities will continue more slowly.
Netanyahu emphasized several times that he is not willing to leave any hostages, alive or dead, in Gaza. When asked if he is ready for a deal that would lead to the release of hostages in exchange for ending the war, he replied that he is not willing to leave Hamas in power.
"I'm not prepared to end the war and leave Hamas in place. I am prepared to do a partial deal, which is no secret, that would return some of the people to us. But we are obligated to continue the fighting after a pause to complete our goal of destroying Hamas," he said.
The Prime Minister's office released a statement emphasizing that Hamas, not Israel, opposes the deal: "Netanyahu made it clear that we will not leave Gaza until we return all 120 of our hostages, both living and dead."
In the interview, Netanyahu also ruled out the possibility of reviving Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, calling it unrealistic. He also spoke about the need to increase investments in domestic arms production "to depend less on others."
In addition, Netanyahu criticized the National Unity party leaders Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot for leaving the government: "Who does this amid a war on seven fronts?"
