Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing criticism from around the world, but he said Israel has no choice but to finish defeating Hamas in Gaza.
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about plans to take control of the last areas held by Hamas in Gaza. Their goal is to end the war, free hostages, and defeat Hamas.
Netanyahu thanked President Trump for his strong support of Israel during the offensive.
Israel plans to increase the number of places where aid can be given to people in Gaza. Netanyahu told local reporters, “There is no hunger. There was no hunger. There was a shortage, but there was no plan to starve anyone.” He called claims of starvation a “global campaign of lies.”
Before a United Nations Security Council meeting, Netanyahu said, “Our goal is not to occupy Gaza. Our goal is to free Gaza.” He wants to remove weapons from the area, keep security under Israeli military control, and have a non-Israeli civilian government run Gaza.
Netanyahu also said he told the military to allow more foreign journalists into Gaza. So far, journalists have only been allowed in with military escorts.
He blamed Hamas for many problems in Gaza, including civilian deaths, damage, and shortages of supplies. Netanyahu said Hamas still has thousands of armed fighters and claimed many Palestinians want to be freed from Hamas control.
Despite criticism from inside Israel and other countries, Netanyahu defended expanding the military operation. He said Israel must “finish the job and defeat Hamas.” The Israeli security cabinet recently ordered the army to target Hamas strongholds not only in Gaza City but also in nearby areas called the “central camps” and Muwasi.
Hamas responded by calling Netanyahu’s statements “blatant lies.”
At the United Nations, the U.S. supports Israel, saying it has the right to protect its security. The U.S. rejected claims that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Other countries and UN officials expressed concern. China said punishing Gaza’s entire population is unacceptable. Russia warned against making the fighting worse.
A UN official said, “This is not just a hunger crisis anymore; people are starving. The situation is terrible, and words can’t describe it.”
The Gaza health ministry reported over 61,400 Palestinians have died in the war. The ministry is run by Hamas and does not separate militants from civilians in its counts, but about half of those killed were women and children.
The United Nations and independent experts consider these casualty numbers to be the most reliable available.
