At a press conference on Saturday evening with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu justified the delivery of fuel to the Gaza Strip, a measure that was widely criticized in public opinion, while the Prime Minister has so far assured that the delivery of fuel has taken place The prerequisite is the release of the hostages.
The head of government said that Israel must not only “respect the laws of war,” but also respond to American requests “to ensure the continued support of the United States and other countries.”
“Israel has no choice but to provide humanitarian aid, including fuel, to the Gaza Strip. We said we would not provide fuel to Hamas, and that is the case. We “Let us provide the minimum amount of fuel to supply water treatment plants.” “We can operate in the south. This is necessary to prevent the emergence of epidemics in the territory, which would also endanger our soldiers,” the Prime Minister justified.
Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the government and the entire country “marched with the families of the hostages,” referring to the marches organized by the relatives of those abducted. He assured that no agreement had yet been reached on their release and any developments on this point would be communicated to the public.
The Prime Minister concluded by reaffirming the three goals of the war: “to destroy Hamas, support the hostages and then ensure that no more threats come from the Gaza Strip,” he stressed, affirming that control of the territory will not be entrusted to the Palestinians Authority. “We cannot have a civilian authority in Gaza that supports terrorism, promotes terrorism, finances terrorism and teaches terrorism,” he said.
For his part, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that the IDF had entered the second phase of its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, targeting Khan Younes in the south.