Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that the war should not have ended sooner, as his critics, including the opposition, have suggested.

He claimed at the Knesset that halting operations earlier would have left Israel facing an existential threat. “Israelis from all sectors would have gone up to heaven in nuclear smoke,” he warned, arguing that perseverance in Gaza prevented such an outcome.

Netanyahu credited the campaign with restoring deterrence and national confidence. “We strengthened Israel’s posture, brought home our hostages—those alive and some who fell—and we will return the rest,” he said. “We cemented our status as a superpower, but the campaign is not over.”