Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a grieving nation on Saturday night that despite the tragic killing of three Israeli hostages on Friday, and despite international pressure, “nothing will stop us” from continuing the war and destroying Hamas.
Netanyahu made his first public appearance since the revelation, 24 hours before, that three Israeli hostages — Alon Shamriz, Samer Talalka, and Yotam Haim — were mistaken for terrorists and were shot and killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers operating on the battlefield in northern Gaza.
In a subsequent investigation, it was learned that the hostages — who had survived 70 days of captivity in the hands of Hamas terrorists — had emerged from a building, shirtless, waving a white flag, and shouting to the soldiers in Hebrew, to no avail.
At a press conference at Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu reminded his nation that Israel was in a war for its existence. He expressed the anguish of the “great tragedy,” in which the hostages had come within arm’s reach of freedom: “Alon, Samer, and Yotam survived the inferno for 70 days. They were [a short distance] from freedom. They could almost touch redemption. And then, suddenly the tragedy happened. It shattered my heart…We were so close to embracing them. But to my sorrow, we cannot turn back time,” he said.
“Everyone … on the battlefield knows that the difference between victory and disaster is a hair’s breadth.”
He expressed support for the soldiers who had to make difficult decisions under pressure. He also said that Israel’s mission had not changed: “We will not give up our military and national goal to return all of our hostages home, in peace. In all the deep pain, I wish to emphasize: the military pressure is what brings both the return of the hostages, and victory over our enemies.”
“I know that the pain that floods your hearts will never be healed. But there is comfort — there is one comfort: to promise that our heroes have not fallen in vain, to promise that we will continue to fight until the achievement of complete victory,” he said.
He added that Israel would not give into international pressure to allow the Palestinian Authority to return to govern the Gaza Strip, and cited opinion polls suggesting that the vast majority of Palestinians supported the October 7 terror attacks, in which 1,200 were murdered in Israel.
Netanyahu concluded: “I want to tell you, citizens of Israel, that victory will take time. But we are determined to continue until the end — despite the enormous pain, despite the grief that fills all of our hearts, despite international pressures. We are continuing to the end. Nothing will stop us, until we reach victory. Together we will fight, and with God’s help, together we will win.”
Defense minister Yoav Gallant also spoke, addressing the tragedy, which he said was among the worst he had experienced in his career: “I know that it is a dark hour … for us, and for the soldiers in the Gaza Strip … This war will be a long war. … Our national will shall overcome the power of the other side, because righteousness and truth are on our side, and because we represent good against evil and wickedness. And therefore we will muster the courage of spirit, and will arrive at victory in this war.”
Gallant accepted responsibility for the mistake, adding that lessons learned from the incident had been passed to commanders in the field. He also described conditions in the area of the attack, noting that Palestinian terrorists had placed dolls and tapes with the cries of babies to lure IDF soldiers into ambushes. Noting that he had seen many sacrifices in battle, including close to him, he said that “this event is one of the most tragic and difficult.”
“The price of war is dear. We pay it every day. But when you know what you are sacrificing for, you know that you are fighting for the right path … we are prepared to pay the price,” he added.
Opposition leader Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White Party is participating in an emergency government of national unity, said it was too early to talk about political questions about a post-Hamas Gaza.
Over 125 hostages are still thought to be in Hamas custody in Gaza. After the tragedy on Friday, there has been increased pressure — both within and outside of Israel — to negotiate with Hamas, though the terror group has recently seemed unwilling to do so.
Netanyahu also related that Joe Biden, when vice president, had once asked him, “What will the solution be?” He answered: “I will tell you what cannot be the solution … the Palestinians can receive any power to run their own lives, but cannot receive any kind of sovereign power to threaten our existence.”
When Biden said that was only a partial solution, Netanyahu related, he answered: “Correct. But that is the only thing that matters.” He added that his argument had only become stronger over time.
Update: In the question-and-answer period following the leaders’ remarks, Netanyahu defended his opposition to a Palestinian state, saying that what Hamas did is a sign of what would happen if Palestinians had ruled a territory next door to Israel.
Gallant agreed, saying that the Oslo Peace Accords had allowed thousands of Palestinian terrorists to enter the West Bank and Gaza from exile, and had allowed weapons to be distributed to Palestinian security forces, resulting in more terrorism.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.