Full text of Netanyahu’s address after killing of Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar
PM says Oct. 7 architect ‘was eliminated when he fled in panic’ from IDF; tells those holding hostages to put down their weapons and they can live; says war is not yet finished
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued two video statements on the night of October 17, 2024, after Israel confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — one in Hebrew and, a little later, a briefer one in English. The first text here is translated from the Hebrew statement. The English statement is below it.
Netanyahu’s Hebrew statement (ToI translation):
Citizens of Israel, a year ago we celebrated the festival of Sukkot. At exactly that moment, Yahya Sinwar was making the final preparations for the slaughter of October 7.
I stand before you today to tell you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated. The one who carried out the worst massacre in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis, abducted hundreds of our people, was eliminated today by our heroic soldiers.
Today, as we promised we would, we settled accounts with him.
Today, evil suffered a heavy blow, but our mission is not yet completed.
To the dear hostage families, I say: This is an important moment in the war. We will continue with full force until all your loved ones — our loved ones — are returned home. That is our supreme obligation. That is my supreme obligation
To the residents of Gaza, I say: Sinwar destroyed your lives. He told you he was a lion but in practice, he hid in a dark tunnel and was eliminated when he fled in a panic from our soldiers.
His elimination is an important milestone in the demise of the Hamas axis of evil.
I want to say again as clearly as possible: Hamas will not rule again in Gaza. This is the beginning of the day after Hamas, and this is an opportunity for you, residents of Gaza, to finally be free of its tyranny.
To the terrorists of Hamas, I say: Your leaders are fleeing and will be eliminated.
I say to all those who are holding our hostages: Those who put down their weapons and leave our hostages, we will allow them to come out and live. And by the same token, I say, those who harm our hostages, his blood is on his head and we will settle accounts with him.
The return of the hostages is an opportunity to achieve all of our goals, and it brings the end of the war nearer.
To the people of the region, I say: In Gaza, in Beirut, in the streets of the entire area, the darkness is withdrawing and the light is rising.
Deif, Haniyeh, Sinwar, Nasrallah, Mohsen, Aqil and many of their partners are no more.
I call on you, peoples of the region: We have a great opportunity to thwart the axis of evil and to create a different future, a future of peace, a future in which the entire region thrives. Together we can push away the curse and advance the blessing.
It’s now clear to all, in Israel and the world, why we insisted not to stop the war — why we insisted, in the face of all the pressures, yes to go into Rafah, the fortified stronghold of Hamas, where Sinwar and many of the mass-murderers were hiding.
I want to express deep appreciation to the fighters of the IDF and the Shin Bet, and their commanders, for their determined and brave operations. There are none better than them.
Today we again showed what happens to those who hurt us. Today, we again showed the world the victory of the good over the evil.
But the war, the war, my dear ones, is not yet finished. It is harsh and it takes a heavy price from us. I want to send from the bottom of my heart my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I want to embrace the families of our fallen heroes. Their ultimate sacrifice, including in these very days, brings us closer to victory.
As King David said, “I will pursue my enemies and destroy them. And I will not turn back until they are wiped out.”
Citizens of Israel, we are in the war of revival. We still face immense challenges. We need stamina, unity in the ranks, courage, determined resilience. Together we will fight and with God’s help, together we will win.
**
Netanyahu’s English statement (PMO text):
One year ago, Yahya Sinwar, the terrorist chief of Hamas, launched the October 7th massacre against Israel.
It was the bloodiest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. It was the worst attack on the Jewish state since the founding of Israel.
Sinwar’s terrorists murdered in cold blood 1,200 people. That’s elderly people, Holocaust survivors, children.
They brutally raped women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive.
And they took 251 women, men and children hostage to the dungeons of Gaza.
Today, the mastermind of this day of sheer evil is no more.
Yahya Sinwar is dead.
He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it’s the beginning of the end.
Yahya Sinwar is dead.
He was killed in Rafah by the brave soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces.
While this is not the end of the war in Gaza, it's the beginning of the end. pic.twitter.com/C6wAaLH1YW
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 17, 2024
To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message: This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.
Hamas is holding 101 hostages in Gaza, who are citizens of 23 countries; citizens of Israel, but citizens of many other countries.
Israel is committed to doing everything in our power to bring all of them home.
And Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages.
But to those who would harm our hostages, I have another message: Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice.
I also have a message of hope to the peoples of the region: The axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes. Nasrallah is gone. His deputy Mohsen is gone. Haniyeh is gone. Deif is gone. Sinwar is gone.
The reign of terror that the Iranian regime has imposed on its own people and on the peoples of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen – this too will come to an end.
All those who seek a future of prosperity and peace in the Middle East should unite to build a better future.
Together, we can push back the forces of darkness and create a future of light and hope for all of us.”