Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening held a press conference, providing updates on the war against Hamas in Gaza. "The war will last many more months," Netanyahu said. "We will continue fighting until we have eliminated Hamas and released all of our hostages. We will not cease our efforts to bring back our hostages. We will not agree with Gaza being a source which encourages terror. We will ensure that Gaza will no longer threaten Israel." "Every place I go, I hear from all sectors of the nation - continue, don't stop. I hear it from the families of the fallen heroes, from the injured, and from the commanders and the brave soldiers who I meet in the field. Everyone tells me the same thing: Continue until victory," Netanyahu said. "In order to complete the goals, we need more time. We are working all the time with determination and strength, while doing the best to ensure the safety of our fighters. "We are executing heavy fire and we are doing everything to ensure the safety of our forces. Our forces are fighting with force and using new methods above and below ground - we have the upper hand. We have thus far eliminated over 8,000 terrorists." Related articles: Netanyahu's conversation with the parents of Alon Ohel Israel passes counter-proposal for ceasefire to mediators Remains of hostage Manny Goddard found in Gaza Nurse who justified murder of Shiri Bibas is fired When asked about the tensions on Israel's northern border, Netanyahu said, "If Hezbollah expands the fighting, it will absorb hits that it did not dream of, and so will Iran. We will act in every way until we bring security back to the residents of the north. When asked about Iran, Netanyahu said, "The Iranian aggression is not only directed towards Israel but towards the entire free world. We are acting against Iran all the time, in every place and in every way - and I will not go into detail." Asked about former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's statements regarding Israel's attacks on Iran, Netanyahu said, "This is absolute irresponsibility. You don't do that. He also doesn't have the authority to do this. Only a sitting prime minister has the authority to do this, and even that I would only do in a measured fashion." When asked about "the day after" the war in Gaza ends, Netanyahu said, "First of all we need to eliminate Hamas and not be swayed aside, right or left. This is the goal."
