Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday listed three major goals for the country in the Gaza Strip.
Speaking at a joint media conference with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Netanyahu said that Israel is ‘stronger’ than ever despite a year and a half of fighting in the Gaza Strip. He said that Israel has three goals in the Palestinian enclave and emphasised that they need to ‘finish the job’ to ensure the future and ‘bring peace’ to the region.
“Israel has never been stronger, and Iran’s terror axis has never been weaker. But as we discussed, to secure our future and bring peace to our region, we have to finish the job. In Gaza, Israel has three goals: destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, secure the release of all of our hostages, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said.
He also appreciated the US President for his ‘willingness to think outside the box’ and said that it would aid Israel in achieving the goals set out for its confrontation against Hamas.
“I believe, Mr. President, your willingness to puncture conventional thinking, thinking that has failed time and time again, and your willingness to think outside the box with fresh ideas will help us achieve all these goals,” he further said.
Israel signed a ceasefire deal with Hamas last month in Gaza to ensure the discharge of the hostages captured by the militant group. The three-phased truce has seen multiple hostages of the October 7, 2023 attack return back, with the rest to be released in the next phases.
In the press conference, President Donald Trump also proposed his plan to take over the Gaza Strip and assume responsibility for reconstructing the war-torn territory. This proposal has met with instant criticism from several countries, especially from Middle Eastern countries.
