From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 12, 2025
PM’s office slams NYT report accusing him of extending Gaza war to remain in power
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issues a lengthy statement hitting out at the New York Times over its report accusing him of extending the Gaza war to rehabilitate his political standing after the October 7, 2023, atrocities and remain in power.
“[The report] rehashes long discredited and false political activists’ talking points. It defames Israel, its brave people, and its prime minister,” the statement says. “The strategic decisions made by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet led Israel to one of the greatest military comebacks in history. On October 7, Israel was believed to have been massively weakened. Today, its strength is paramount in the region, while Israel’s enemies are hobbled as never before.”
The statement continues: “Against much internal and international opposition, Prime Minister Netanyahu carried out the battle of Rafah, which shut down the Philadelphia corridor through which Hamas smuggled weapons and rockets to fire at Israeli civilians. His leadership brought about the covert detonation of Hezbollah pagers, the destruction of its missile stockpiles, the destruction of Assad’s armaments, the targeted killing of terrorist chiefs Deif, Haniyeh, Sinwar and Nasrallah, and above all the decisive action against the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile existential threats in the Rising Lion operation.”
“All that would not be possible if Prime Minister Netanyahu had accepted the recommendations of senior defense and security officials who urged him to accept Hamas’s dictates to end the war early on and leave Hamas, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and the Iran threats intact. Those senior officials, whose anonymous supporters are widely quoted throughout the article, have since been replaced.”
The statement also defends Netanyahu’s approach to freeing hostages held in Gaza, saying “his forceful application of combined military and diplomatic pressure has so far achieved the release of 205 hostages out of a total of 255. He is committed to achieve the return of the remaining 50, of which 20 are alive.”
“Along with the release of the remaining hostages, Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to the elimination of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities to ensure that the October 7 massacre will never be repeated again,” the statement adds.
The statement ends by saying “Prime Minister Netanyahu was never concerned with his political survival, but with carrying out his life’s mission — ensuring the survival and future of the one and only Jewish state.”
Shortly after releasing the English-language statement after midnight on Shabbat eve, the Prime Minister’s Office then deletes it without immediate explanation.
The Times of Israel Community.