'Why not take responsibility?' Benjamin Netanyahu asked on Hamas attack. He says…

There would be time for such “difficult” questions once the Hamas war is over, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said refusing to take responsibility for failing to prevent the October 7 attack on the country. Speaking to CNN, Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that it is “a question that needs to be asked,” but that the country needs to unite around the goal of defeating Hamas.

“We’re going to answer all these questions,” the prime minister said, adding, “Right now, I think what we have to do is unite the country for one purpose; to achieve victory.”

“Let’s focus on victory – that’s my responsibility now," he said after being criticized for failing to anticipate the deadliest attack on Israel since the country’s founding in 1948. Hamas has killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages last month, as per Israeli authorities.

The prime minister said that Israel is doing all it can “around the clock” to release the hostages, saying it is one of his two war goals, along with the destruction of Hamas, reiterating his stance regarding international calls for a ceasefire, saying that the only halt in fighting he would accept is “one in which we have our hostages released.”

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Asked if he would allow days-long pauses, Benjamin Netanyahu said, “that’s not a pause. If you’re talking about stopping the fighting, that’s exactly what Hamas wants. Hamas wants an endless series of pauses that basically dissipate the battle against them. No reason why we can’t just take the patients out of there’

Since the October 7 attacks, Israel has bombarded Gaza, killing at least 11,025 Palestinians. This toll includes 4,506 children and 3,027 women while over 27,000 other individuals have sustained injuries, as per officials.

On hospitals in Gaza that health officials and aid agencies say are suffering a “catastrophic situation,” Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is helping patients by establishing safe corridors on the ground, but insisted that “no immunity” will be given to Hamas.

“We have designated routes to a safe zone south of Gaza City. We want all civilians to be moved out of harm’s way," he said claming Hamas for the civilian casualties.

“There’s no reason why we can’t just take the patients out of there,” he said.

Explaining Israel's security role in a post-war Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu said that would be an “over-riding, over-reaching military envelope,” but did not explain what that meant.

The role would be accompanied by “a reconstructed civilian authority … some kind of civilian Palestinian Authority” in control of Gaza that is “willing to fight the terrorists” and educate children for a “future of peace, cooperation, prosperity, cooperation with Israel,” and “not the annihilation of Israel.”

“So far, that hasn’t happened. There has to be something else. Otherwise we’re just falling into that same rabbit hole and we’re going to have the same result. Remember the PA [Palestinian Authority] was already in Gaza,” he said.

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