Netanyahu says he told Biden Gaza victory ‘requires our security control’

Speaking to government ministers at the Yahalom special engineering unit base in Julis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says victory is “within reach,” and that while it will take time, it will not take years.

“It is a difficult battle, but a battle in which we are winning, for the demilitarization of the Strip,” he says.

Netanyahu says that he told US President Joe Biden and all world leaders that victory “requires our security control and ultimate security responsibility – over the entire area west of Jordan, including the Gaza Strip.”

“There is no substitute,” he goes on. “That is, there will always be Israeli security control, and if it requires our presence inside, then there will be a presence inside, and if it requires us going in anywhere, as the IDF is capable of arriving anywhere, at any time, this was stated here and will be maintained in the future.”

Netanyahu acknowledges that foreign pressure on Israel is increasing, and maintaining unity is crucial.

Netanyahu speaks after a briefing for government ministers by IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and says he will arrange another meeting to focus on the northern border.