During a combative address to the Knesset on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu praised what he described as landmark successes in the Gaza war, claiming his administration had achieved “tremendous achievements” that “changed the face of the Middle East” and “broke the stranglehold of the Iranian axis.”
Listing what he called key victories, Netanyahu highlighted the killing of top Hamas operatives, and for the first time, publicly stated that the IDF had taken out Muhammad Sinwar — the brother of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attack.
Responding to criticism that the government has abandoned efforts to rescue the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, Netanyahu insisted otherwise, asserting he was responsible for the return of 197 captives, “148 of whom are alive.” He stressed that “only military pressure” led to those outcomes.
He also used the occasion to rebuke his political rivals, stating that if the opposition had been in charge, none of these accomplishments would have occurred.
The speech came after the opposition successfully invoked a parliamentary rule requiring Netanyahu’s presence at a special debate titled: “The total failure of the government in achieving the war aims — returning the hostages and destroying Hamas.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid fired back, accusing Netanyahu of squandering the trust and cooperation of the United States. He referenced the Biden administration’s quiet diplomacy with Iran, its deal with the Houthis in Yemen that excluded Israel, the removal of sanctions on Syria, and strengthened ties with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As Netanyahu spoke, relatives of captives currently held in Gaza staged a silent protest in the Knesset gallery, pointedly turning their backs on the prime minister. At the same time, opposition lawmakers repeatedly heckled him, prompting Speaker Amir Ohana to restore order several times.
Netanyahu lashed out at his critics, saying they were detached from the reality of the war. “Have you fallen on your heads? Are you on planet Earth? … In Israel’s wars there have never been so many achievements on so many fronts,” he said.
He declared that Israel had “repelled the terrorists, eliminated Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Sinwar. We cut off the supply of weapons to Hamas, returned about 90 percent of the residents of the Gaza border region to their homes, and we are making a dramatic change in the Gaza Strip.”
According to Netanyahu, the war had reshaped regional dynamics and weakened Iran’s influence, completely contradicting the narrative of defeat pushed by his detractors.
Critics, meanwhile, argue the government has failed to articulate a post-war vision for Gaza, stretched out the conflict without clear objectives, and deepened Israel’s diplomatic isolation. They also hold Netanyahu accountable for the initial security failures of October 7.
Rejecting the idea that he had abandoned the hostages, Netanyahu called such accusations “lies,” and reaffirmed his commitment. “Every hostage means the world to me. I am working to return all our hostages, the living and the dead,” he said.
He emphasized that the recovery of the majority of the 251 hostages taken on October 7 was due to continued military action, not concessions. According to Netanyahu, had the opposition’s demands been followed, “Hamas would have fortified its power in Gaza… We would have had more kidnappings, more rape, more massacres, more Hamas on the fences.”
He maintained that total victory requires Gaza’s demilitarization and removing Hamas leadership. “We achieved all the achievements because we didn’t listen to you,” Netanyahu said. “We withstood pressures at home and abroad and stuck to the goal of destroying Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities and returning the hostages. The majority of the people support us.”
In his rebuttal, Lapid directly blamed Netanyahu for the failures of October 7 and contended that Israel had been in a stronger position during his own term in office with Naftali Bennett. He said his government had ensured “security for the residents of the south” and maintained strong ties with both the U.S. and regional allies.
“If I had said two and a half years ago that you would be getting up [at night] three times a week because of missiles from Yemen, you would have thought I was crazy. If I had said that the Iranians would attack us, you would have thought I needed to switch meds. Two and a half years ago, the situation was under control,” said Lapid.
He criticized the erosion of U.S.-Israel relations under Netanyahu’s watch. “You lost Trump,” Lapid charged. “The Americans made a deal with the Houthis behind your back without you knowing. The president met with the president of Syria, without you knowing. Renewed ties with Erdogan, without you knowing.”
{Matzav.com}