Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected international pressure to rein in his military campaign in Gaza, emphasizing Israel's right to fight its “genocidal enemies” at a Holocaust memorial.
Nearly seven months after the war, Netanyahu has remained steadfast in his goal of destroying Hamas. This, and Netanyahu's insistence on sending troops to Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, has complicated efforts to end the fighting and raised concerns about the future of hostages held by Hamas.
But Mr Netanyahu has remained defiant.
On Sunday, he spoke at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, on the occasion of National Holocaust Remembrance Day. Hamas's attack on October 7, he said, was not a “Holocaust” – not because Hamas did not intend to destroy Israel, but because the country was incapable of doing so. About 1,200 people were killed that day and more than 200 were taken hostage, Israeli authorities say. Hamas's intention, Netanyahu said, was the same as that of the Nazis.
In his speech, which lasted about 15 minutes and was largely in Hebrew, Mr. Netanyahu rejected accusations that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Since the war began, Gaza authorities say Israeli forces have killed more than 34,000 people, including many women and children, although statistics do not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
Mr Netanyahu said the Israeli military is doing everything it can to prevent harm to civilians and has allowed aid to flow into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis. A United Nations official recently said that parts of Gaza are suffering from “total famine.”
Mr Netanyahu made a point of saying a few words in English aimed at the international community. He invoked the Holocaust in defending Israel's right to defend itself, with or without international support.
“If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone,” he said. “But we know we are not alone, as countless decent people around the world support our just cause. And I tell you: we will defeat our genocidal enemies. Never again, now!”
On Monday morning after his speech, the Israeli army gave its strongest signal yet that it was going to invade Rafah, when it asked tens of thousands of Gazans to evacuate the city.