PM Netanyahu: ‘Never Again’ Is Now, This Is Israel’s Second War Of Independence

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — As Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza gains momentum, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference Saturday night together with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) and Minister Benny Gantz (National Unity).

The prime minister lauded the IDF soldiers on the front line, stating that “The soldiers in Gaza are continuing a 3,000-year-old chain of heroism.”

“We have always said, ‘Never again,'” he added, stressing that, “‘Never again’ is now.”

He emphasized that Gaza civilians should evacuate to open area in southern Gaza.

“This is a war of humanity against barbarians,” he said, calling the war against Hamas “a second War of Independence.”

He explained, “Many in the world understand very well that Israel is fighting not only its own war but the war of humanity as a whole, the war of humanity against barbarism.”

Netanyahu said that leaders of several countries have visited Israel since the war started and expressed support for Israel.

“They did not just express support for us – they said that they are hoping we will win.”

“I have no doubt how this war will end: This war will end with our victory.” He stressed that the war is “the task of our lives – and also the task of my life.”

“Together we will fight – and together we will win,” he concluded.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “The intensity of the fire against our enemies shook the ground in Gaza.”

“Hamas has suffered blows it has never known before,” he added, noting that, “the IAF is only using a fraction of its force.”

Israel is “making every effort to bring the hostages home,” he added, emphasizing that, “this is a task of the highest priority.”

“This is a war for our homes. This is a war which we have no choice but to fight. It is a war of life or death.”

Gantz said, “Our force depends on our strength and our unity.”

“We are waging this war with determination and responsibility,” he said. “We need to remember that opposing us is an organization which lacks humanity, which uses infants and women as a human shield in order to save itself. We will ensure, sooner or later, that everyone pays the price. Murderers and child abducters are walking corpses.”

“It is important that the world know: In this war, there is no diplomatic hourglass… We will listen to our friends, but we will do what is right for us.”

Gallant appeared to hint that the more pressure the IDF brings to bear on Hamas via heavy attacks on all of its military installations and personnel, the more hope there is of a positive outcome for the hostages abducted by Hamas.

Following the statements, listeners were invited to ask questions, which were then answered.

Answering these questions, Netanyahu told reporters: “Iran backs ninety percent of the Hamas war machine. Without Iran, there is no Hamas, nor any Hezbollah. I cannot say if they were involved in the specific details of this campaign.”

“We will do everything in our power both to destroy Hamas and to rescue the hostages. These are the two goals I have set for the security forces, and I am confident we will achieve both of them,” he said.

However, at the same time, Netanyahu stressed, “Talking about our efforts to help the hostages will not help execute our plans to help them. We cannot detail our operations or intelligence. It is not a side point for us – we simply cannot speak about the details of what we are doing, or will do.”

When asked about the judicial reform, he responded, “The judicial reform is not on the agenda” right now. He also said, “After the war, everyone, including myself, will need to answer for this horrific failure.”

”I stand behind my statements that the responsibility lies on the government,” he stressed, when asked if he would take “ultimate responsibility, as the ultimate authority.”

“These descriptions of the days before the war are incorrect. I led three campaigns against Hamas, which reduced its operational capacity. In retrospect, it was not enough, and now we are determined to finish the job.”

He also said that Israelis are now united: “Our enemies have made a mistake. As I always said, when we were tested, we joined all together, all three hundred sixty degrees of Israeli society. We have removed all the differences between us. We now spend nearly twenty-four hours a day together, from every community.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters that reports of strained relations between himself and Prime Minister Netanyahu are incorrect: “There is no difference of opinion in the Cabinet, nor between any of the Ministers. Anything else is gossip and I will not address it.