From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 18, 2024
Netanyahu in English statement: ‘War can end tomorrow’ if Hamas lays down arms, returns hostages
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
In an English-language statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “the beginning of the end” of the war in Gaza.
“To the people of Gaza, I have a simple message,” he continues. “This war can end tomorrow. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and returns our hostages.”
“Israel will guarantee the safety of all those who return our hostages,” he pledges, adding that if anyone harms them, “Israel will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”
Turning to the people of the Middle East, Netanyahu says that “the axis of terror that was built by Iran is collapsing before our eyes.”
“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,” he promises.
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
