VIDEO: "Our goal is to free Gaza, not occupy it, as Hamas vows repeat of Oct. 7", says Netanyahu

"Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference for foreign media on Sunday, declaring that his government would “puncture the lies and tell the truth” about the ongoing war in Gaza.

Netanyahu claimed that Hamas still has “thousands of armed terrorists” in Gaza and accused the group of vowing to “repeat the massacre of October 7 again and again.” 

He alleged that Hamas is subjecting Gazans to abuse, stealing their food, and shooting them when they try to move to safe zones. “Gazans are now begging us: free us and free Gaza from Hamas,” he said.

“Our goal is not to occupy Gaza but to liberate it,” Netanyahu stated, adding, “The war can end tomorrow if Hamas lays down its weapons. No country can tolerate a terrorist organization that threatens to destroy it.”

He announced plans to establish a buffer zone in the Gaza Strip, create designated areas for food distribution, and work toward setting up a civilian authority that is independent of both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu also said the plan would include relocating Palestinian civilians from Gaza.

He outlined five principles for ending the war once it concludes:

• Hamas disarmed
• All captives freed
• Gaza demilitarized
• "Israeli" overriding security control
• Non-"Israeli" peaceful civil administration

On the last point, he elaborated that the goal is to have a peaceful civil administration that does not educate its children for terror, does not pay terrorists, and does not launch terrorist attacks on 'Israel'.

He stated this means it would be neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

“We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli military control, but we have two remaining Hamas strongholds — Gaza City and the central camps in Mawasi,” Netanyahu said.

He stated that last Thursday, "Israel’s" security cabinet instructed the IOF to dismantle these two "Hamas strongholds". Netanyahu claimed this is the best way to end the war.

He said the military will first enable the civilian population to safely leave combat areas to designated safe zones, where they will be given food, water, and medical care.

Netanyahu claimed that since the beginning of the war, "Israel" has allowed in 2 million tons of humanitarian aid. “If we had a starvation policy, no one in Gaza would have survived the two years of war,” he added.

He accused the United Nations of consistently refusing to distribute aid until recently, stating that this is why tons of aid are rotting on the Gaza side of the border, as the UN was and still is unwilling to deliver it.

Netanyahu on foreign media

Netanyahu said he had instructed the military to allow visits by foreign journalists to Gaza, but gave no timeline or further details.

Access for foreign media to Gaza has been severely restricted during 'Israel's' 22-month war with Hamas. Independent entry for correspondents has been blocked since 'Israel’s' aggression began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.