In defiant message, Netanyahu says ending fighting in Gaza would be ‘surrender to Hamas,’ endanger Israel's security

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a recorded message to the nation of Israel on Saturday evening, marking the end of the Passover week. 

In his address, Netanyahu insisted on the need to continue the fight against Hamas, arguing that stopping the war before achieving Israel’s goals would be a betrayal of those who died in the war and a “surrender” to Hamas. 

Netanyahu began by sending “heartfelt condolences to the family of Warrant Officer G'haleb Nasser, of blessed memory, who fell today in the Gaza Strip.” 

“The entire people of Israel are mourning together with the dear family. The entire people of Israel salute him for his heroism,” Netanyahu said. 

The prime minister also stated that he has “directed the IDF to respond vigorously and to further increase the pressure on Hamas.” 

“We are in the redemption war, a war on seven fronts,” Netanyahu continued. “This war has had very heavy costs because every such loss is a world unto itself. But, as a people that treasures life, we have no choice but to continue and to fight for our very existence – until victory.” 

“Citizens of Israel, as your Prime Minister, I will not surrender,” Netanyahu exclaimed. “I will not surrender to the murderers who perpetrated the most terrible massacre of the Jewish People since the Holocaust, because such a surrender would endanger the security of the state and would endanger you.” 

He also claimed that Israel is “in a decisive stage of the campaign, and this stage calls for patience and determination in order to win.” 

The prime minister also said that stopping the war now would cancel the “great achievements” made so far. 

“If we surrender to the diktat of Hamas now, all of the great achievements that we have made thanks to our fighters, our fallen and our wounded heroes, all of these achievements will simply have been for naught.” 

Netanyahu then listed several times in which had Israel stopped its war effort, it would not have achieved significant victories. 

“Since the start of the war, we have heard calls for its conclusion – for its conclusion by surrender. These calls have increased of late,” he stated. “Were I to have given in to these calls, we would not have entered Rafah. We would not have seized the Philadelphi corridor. We would not have carried out the pagers operation. We would not have eliminated Sinwar, Deif, Haniyeh or Nasrallah. We would not have created the conditions for the fall of the Assad regime and a harsh blow to the Iranian axis. We would not have changed the face of the Middle East. We would have simply continued to live under an existential danger.” 

Netanyahu affirmed that he is “committed to preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons,” claiming that without his policies and actions, “Iran would have already had nuclear weapons 10 years ago.” 

He also claimed that “if we do not complete the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities, the next October 7 and the next abductions are only a question of time.” 

“Leaving the Hamas regime in place in Gaza would be a huge defeat for Israel and a huge victory for Iran,” Netanyahu stated. 

The prime minister also blamed Hamas for the failure to reach a new hostage-ceasefire deal. 

“This weekend, Hamas again rejected a proposal that could have led to the release of half of the remaining living hostages who are still in Gaza and the return of many of the deceased.” 

He said the terms the terror group is demanding would amount to a surrender for Israel. 

“Hamas is demanding an end to the war and that its regime be left in place. It is also demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the rehabilitation of Gaza with the influx of vast capital that will allow it to rearm and prepare attacks on us again,” Netanyahu noted. “An end to the war on these conditions of surrender would send a message to all enemies of Israel that by taking Israelis hostage, it is possible to bring the State of Israel to its knees and defeat it.” 

He also claimed that Israel’s agreement to those terms "would also be the lethal message that terrorism pays, which would harm the security of the entire free world.” 

“We will not conclude the war of redemption before we destroy Hamas in Gaza, return all of our hostages and ensure that the Gaza Strip will never again constitute a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu promised. 

Furthermore, the prime minister stated that those who call for ending the war are “echoing Hamas propaganda word for word,” claiming that the calls for ending the war is "fueling the brutal psychological warfare that it [Hamas] is waging against us and against the families." 

Noting that Hamas' surrender terms “are not new,” Netanyahu asked, “What responsible Israeli leader could accept them after October 7?” 

Netanyahu also said that if Israel were to agree to the terms pushed by Hamas, it would not be able to return to the war effort after the last hostage is released. 

“They have no idea how the international system works,” he said. “Nobody, certainly not the US, or China, or Russia, or other members of the Security Council – nobody would cooperate with such a deception, which would make returning to the war impossible. We would have no legitimacy for doing so.”

“There is no fake commitment,” he said. “If we promise not to fight, we will be unable to return to fighting in Gaza.” 

Netanyahu said that he believes “it is possible to return our hostages without surrendering to Hamas's diktat.” 

He claimed that during the first security cabinet meeting after Oct. 7, “a very senior security establishment official” said that Israel would “not succeed in returning even one hostage.”

“As of today, we have returned 196 hostages, 147 alive. Twenty-four living hostages and 35 deceased hostages are still being held in Gaza,” Netanyahu noted. “The mission has yet to be completed, and I intend to complete it without surrendering to Hamas.” 

Pushing back on claims that he does not meet with hostage families, Netanyahu said, “Since the outbreak of the war, including in recent days, my wife and I have met and talked with many of the families of the hostages.”

“I meet the people. I understand the torment of the dear families, of the mothers and fathers, and brothers and sisters, and the wives. I feel their immense pain. I hear the cry of their hearts.” 

He promised that Israel “will increase the pressure on Hamas until we achieve all of the objectives of the war.”

“Citizens of Israel, we are in the midst of an unprecedented multi-front war. Thanks to the heroism of our brave fighters, the great spirit of our people and the vigorous policy of the government that I have led, we have made great achievements,” the prime minister said, while asking the people of Israel to face them “with determination, strength, faith and the great spirit that beats in the heart of our people.” 

“Together we will stand,” Netanyahu concluded. “Together we will fight and with G-d's help, together we will win.”