Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump talked about Israeli plans to take “control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza in order to bring about the end of the war, the release of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” per an Israeli readout of the Sunday call.
Netanyahu also thanked the U.S. president for the latter’s “steadfast support of Israel since the start of the war,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
At press time, the White House had yet to readout the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu told foreign reporters at a press conference that " the truth is, Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza.”
“It vows to repeat the Oct. 7 massacre and to do so again and again. It openly professes its goal to destroy the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “It subjugates Gazans. It steals their food. It shoots them when they try to move to safe zones, and I think it’s instructive that now, many Gazans are fighting back. They are begging us, and they’re begging the world, ‘free us. Free us, and free Gaza from Hamas.’”
Netanyahu added that “no nation can accept a genocidal terrorist organization, an organization committed to its annihilation, a stone’s throw from its citizens.”
“Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza. Free it from Hamas terrorists,” he told reporters. “The war can end tomorrow if Gaza, or rather, if Hamas lays down its arms and releases all the remaining hostages. Gaza will be demilitarized. Israel will have overriding security responsibilities.”
“A security zone will be established on Gaza’s border with Israel to prevent future terrorist incursions,” he added. “A civilian administration will be established in Gaza that will seek to live in peace with Israel.”
