Israel’s Prime Minister flags that the war against Hamas will last for many months.
At the same time, disgust with him is growing after the October 7 failures, according to experts.
– I will not resign, Netanyahu says at a press conference.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a televised press conference after the bloody day in the Gaza Strip where nearly 200 people lost their lives, according to Reuters.
Netanyahu stated that an end to the conflict is not in sight but that the fighting will continue “until Gaza no longer poses a threat”.
– The war will last for several months. Until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are back in Israel, he says.
Dissatisfaction with the prime minister has grown in the year since the push for legal reform to give more power to parliament – but also the military failures on October 7, when Hamas launched an unexpected attack and 1,200 people died, have affected public opinion, according to experts.
Haaretz writer Yossi Pour writes in an analysis that war usually unites people and governments, but that the Gaza war only made people hate Netanyahu even more.
Protest outside Netanyahu’s house
Thousands of people have gathered outside the prime minister’s house in Caesarea, Haifa, to demand his resignation.
To a question during the press conference, Netanyahu responded to the criticism:
– I will not resign. The only thing I will resign from is Hamas. That’s what I do, he says Times of Israel.
– The major inquiry into the failures of October 7 will only take place at the end of the fighting, although some lessons have already been learned.
New York Times investigation shows that the Israeli troops were disorganized, undermanned and over-relied on social media. There was no plan for a major Hamas invasion, the newspaper writes.
– There was no defense plan for a surprise attack like the one we saw on October 7, says Brigadier General Amir Avivi to the New York Times.