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“We’ll do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet and the security of people and deterrence. We’re trying to degrade Hamas’ terrorist abilities and to degrade their will to do this again. So it’ll take some time. I hope it won’t take long, but it’s not immediate,” he said, saying Americans would certainly react the same way if there were attacks on U.S. cities.
Netanyahu also denied reports that he had rejected a truce offered by Egypt, which also borders on Gaza, and accepted by Hamas.
“That’s not what I know,” he said of the suggested truce.
“And, frankly, if Hamas thought that they could just fire rockets and then sit back and enjoy immunity, that’s false. We’re targeting a terrorist organization that is targeting our civilians and hiding behind their civilians, using them as human shields. We’re doing everything we can to hit the terrorists themselves, their rockets, their rocket caches and their arms. But we’re not just going to let them get away with it, and neither would you.”
On Saturday, Israeli forces targeted a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed the local offices of Al-Jazeera, the Associated Press and other media outlets. But Netanyahu maintains that forces took careful steps to prevent civilian casualties in bombing that building.
“You see these high-rise towers that are used by Hamas,” he said. “Over and over again, they collapse and no one is killed. Why does that happen? Because we, unlike Hamas, take special precautions to tell people, ‘leave the building, leave the premises.’ We make sure that everyone is gone before we bring down those terrorist facilities. And that’s the difference between Israel and Hamas.”
He also said that Hamas deliberately targets Israel’s cities and civilians, and “glorify the deaths of children, civilians and old people and they are happy with it” — while Israeli forces “mourn every non-combatant loss.”
When asked if he provided evidence of Hamas’ presence during his conversation with President Joe Biden on Saturday, Netanyahu said: “Well, we passed it through the intelligence services.”
Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, also defended the attack on that high-rise, saying Israel would provide proof that the building was used for military purposes against Israel. Speaking on CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” Conricus declined to specify a time frame for providing that information.
Netanyahu also responded to criticism that his actions have been part of a strategy to stay in power, following four inconclusive elections in a two-year span that have resulted in political gridlock.
“That’s preposterous,” he said. “I think anybody who knows me knows that I’ve never, ever subordinated security concerns, the life of our soldiers, the life of our citizens for political interests. That’s just hogwash. I’ll do what I have to do to protect the lives of Israeli citizens and restore peace.”
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