Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his first press conference since December 2024 on Wednesday, calling the offensive in Gaza “an unprecedented operation in the history of wars” and publicly stating that there are 20 hostages still alive in Gaza.
“We have returned, so far, 197 hostages, of whom 148 are alive. Twenty are alive; we will return them all,” he said.
Before the release of Edan Alexander, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it believed there were 24 living hostages. The fate of three of them, one Israeli and two foreign nationals, is a serious concern for officials.
“If there is an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire to return hostages, we are prepared for it,” he said.
He also fired back at the High Court’s ruling regarding his attempt to fire Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar and stated that he intended to select a new agency head.
“In my opinion, there is a simple question here: Will the High Court and the attorney-general respect the law, which is the will of the people?” he said. “The country is based on the democratic rule of law; it was established by elected officials… Now the question is whether they will respect the law or not.”
Netanyahu provides outline for IDF plan in Gaza
The prime minister confirmed that all of Gaza will be under IDF control, but that Jerusalem must “avert a humanitarian crisis.”
He also noted that the military’s new operation, Gideon’s Chariots, would feature three stages.
In stage one, the IDF will allow a flow of basic food aid into Gaza to “prevent a humanitarian crisis.” In stage two, American companies will open up aid points for aid delivery. In stage three, the military will facilitate the movement of Gazans southward to organized points and prevent Hamas from infiltrating and benefiting from aid.
He added that he was ready to end the Israel-Hamas War in exchange for specific demands: the return of the hostages, the removal of Hamas from power, full demilitarization, and the implementation of the Trump Gaza plan.
He added that the IDF “enforces the ceasefire in Lebanon with an iron fist at all times and that the IDF’s operations in Lebanon led to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
Netanyahu responds to Trump rumours
Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed speculation of a falling out with the US administration following a visit to the Gulf by US President Donald Trump that left out Israel.
Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates hauled in a series of big ticket business deals but fueled widespread media commentary pointing out that Israel, Washington's closest ally in the region, had not been included.
The visit followed Trump's decision to end a US bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen even as the Iranian-backed group continued to fire missiles at Israel and to seek nuclear talks with Iran.
Netanyahu, who had previously made no public comment on the issue, told reporters at a news conference that he had spoken to Trump around 10 days ago and the president had told him: "'Bibi I want you to know, I have a complete commitment to you and I have a complete commitment to the state of Israel.'"
Amid growing international pressure on Israel, Trump has urged a quick end to the war in Gaza and spoken of the suffering of civilians in the besieged enclave, where an 11-week Israeli aid blockade has created a deep humanitarian crisis.
In a separate conversation a few days ago, Netanyahu said US Vice President JD Vance had told him: "'Don't pay attention to all these fake news stories about this rupture between us'."