Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening spoke to the Israeli public for the first time since the government approved a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal with the Hamas terror group. "On October 7, our enemies perpetrated the worst massacre against the Jewish People since the Holocaust," he began. "But amidst this terrible disaster was shown the great strength of the spirit of the people and the supreme heroism of our fighters." "It is this strength that has led us with determination to achieve all of the objectives of the war that we set: Returning all of our hostages, eliminating Hamas' military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to our country." He stressed that over the course of the war, "we have made it clear to our enemies and to the entire world, that when the people of Israel stand together, there is no force that can break us." "The power of Israel is what leads us determinedly to achieve all of the goals of the war that we set out to achieve," Netanyahu said. "When the nation of Israel stands together, there is no power that can break us. I am proud to be the prime minister of our amazing nation, I am proud to lead our country during these times." Announcing the approval of the ceasefire deal, he said, "The sacred mission to release hostages has accompanied me throughout my life, from my IDF service and throughout my years as Prime Minister." He added, "Together with you, citizens of Israel, and together with many people around the world, my wife Sara and I have hoped, prayed and worked for the return of all of our hostages. I think about them all the time. My wife Sara has put her entire heart and soul into caring for the families and for those who have returned, and she has been working for them both at home and abroad. I know that this is a shared concern of all the families in Israel, and I promise you: We will meet all the goals of the war and we will brough all of them home." "As of today, we have returned home 157 of our hostages, 117 of whom alive. Under the agreement that has now been approved, we will return home another 33 of our brothers and sisters, most of them alive." Netanyahu also said that he insisted on three key principles in negotiations: "Hamas wanted permanent ceasefire as precondition," he explained. "I refused to agree to this, and my position was accepted." He noted that the deal is the result of the IDF's heroic fighting in Gaza, and that outgoing US President Joe Biden and US President-elect Donald Trump both fully back Israel's right to return to fighting in Gaza if [Israel] concludes that negotiations for the second stage of the agreement are not effective, and that cooperation with both US administrations is what led to achievement of the deal. Netanyahu also stressed that when speaking to Trump about the deal, Trump spoke of it as a "temporary ceasefire." He also praised Trump's decision to remove all limits on the provisions of essential weapons and munitions to the State of Israel. "That is what he said, 'a temporary ceasefire,'" he reiterated. "Ahead of the next stages of the agreement, we retain significant assets in order to return all of our hostages, and in order to meet the objectives of the war. "If we need to go back to the fighting, we will do so in new ways and with great force," he promised. "And not for nothing, all senior American administration officials have unanimously attested that it was Hamas that hindered the negotiations." The second key principle was the number of living hostages to be released in the first stage. "I insisted on raising number of living hostages released in first stage, and succeeded." "Contrary to Hamas' position in May, we have almost doubled the number of living hostages that are due to be released in the first stage." Related articles: Israel passes counter-proposal for ceasefire to mediators Israel demanding 10 living hostages; Hamas insists on only 5 Prepare for talks to release 11 hostages Steve Witkoff's new proposal for a ceasefire deal The third key principle, Netanyahu said, is the Philadelphi Corridor and the buffer zone. Reports said that Israel would reposition its forces along the Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, and withdraw its forces from the area. Now, Netanyahu denied these reports, stressing, "We'll increase, not reduce, number of forces in Philadelphi Corridor." Noting that control of the area is key to the goals of the war, he added, "We promised in the agreement that Israel would keep full control in the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer around the entire Gaza Strip. We will not allow war material to be smuggled in, nor will we allow our hostages to be smuggled out." Regarding reports that convicted murderers will be released to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, he said, "We determined that terrorists who committed murder will not be released to Judea and Samaria – they will be expelled to the Gaza Strip or abroad, and we decided in the Security Cabinet on a very significant increase in our forces in Judea and Samaria in order to protect our citizens." He also stressed that Hamas only agreed to compromise due to the "painful blows that our heroic fighters have landed on Hamas, and the rest of our enemies, on the battlefield." "We eliminated [Yahya] Sinwar, [Mohammed] Deif and [Ismail] Haniyeh. We eliminated [Hassan] Nasrallah and the entire Hezbollah leadership. We destroyed most of the weaponry of the Syrian military. We struck the Houthis in Yemen. We acted against Iran. Indeed, we struck all of these very hard, that is to say that we struck the entire Iranian axis very hard – and we are still active. Just as I promised you, we have changed the face of the Middle East." "As result of all this, Hamas has been left battered and isolated in the campaign. This is exactly how the conditions were created for the turning point in its position and for the release of our hostages. Today Hamas has agreed to what it did not agree to previously." He admitted that the war "costs us a heavy price," but noted that "the whole world is impressed at our achievements." Turning his listeners in a personal message, Netanyahu said, "My dear citizens of Israel, I see the emotion. I see with uplifted spirit your inner strength. I want to thank you for the confidence and backing that you have given me and my colleagues to lead the State of Israel in these fateful times." "I see our people at their best; the men and women of the IDF regular forces and reserves, the men and women of the Israel Police, the men and women in the ISA, the Mossad and the Prison Service, the emergency and rescue forces, the volunteers and our entire people in its full glory. "In the storm of battle and horror of war, we take to our heart with shared sorrow, love and appreciation, those who have paid the heaviest price of all – our brothers and sisters in the bereaved families, the dear bereaved families. We embrace our wounded in body and soul, the families of our hostages, the residents who have been displaced from their homes in the north and the south, whom we are committed to returning home. "I take all of you into my heart and I tell you – the campaign is still not over. A long and challenging journey still lies before us. This is not the time to disband and disperse, this is the time to unite and come together. This is what the heritage of Israel commands us. This is what the generation of victory demands of us. "We are winning because the spirit within us is winning. This is the spirit of an ancient people, a people that has refused to surrender to those who have risen up to destroy us. Together, with G-d's help, we will defeat our enemies; we will ensure our future. Because there is redemption and 'there is hope for your future, says the L-rd; and your children shall return to their own border' ."
