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the Syrian Mt. Hermon, which I 
remember very well from the time 
of my service in the General Staff 
Reconnaissance Unit. I was active on 
Mt. Hermon with my Shaldag sol-
diers, in bone-chilling cold. Both of 
my brothers, Ido and Yoni of blessed 
memory, were active there.
I visited the Golan Heights. I 
evaluated the characteristics of the 
sector. I was briefed on the deploy-
ment of the IDF on the Syrian bor-
der. I instructed the army to take the 
actions necessary to prevent harm to 
our security.
Our great achievements in the war 
have been made possible thanks to 
three main things: First, thanks to 
the heroism of our amazing fighters, 
their sacrifice and their great con-
fidence in the justice of our cause. 
Thanks to the fighters; thanks to 
the fallen. Second, thanks to the 
national resilience and your great 
steadfastness, citizens of Israel, in 
the south, in the north and through-
out the country. Third, thanks to the 
determined and sagacious conduct 
of the war, and thanks to repelling 
the tremendous pressure, at home 
and abroad, to stop the war before 
we have achieved all of its goals.
I ask you, just think: If we had 
acceded to those who told us 
time and again: “The war must be 
stopped” — we would not have 
entered Rafah, we would not have 
seized the Philadelphi Corridor, we 
would not have eliminated Sinwar, 
we would not have surprised our 
enemies in Lebanon and the entire 
world in a daring operation-strata-
gem, we would not have eliminat-
ed Nasrallah, we would not have 
destroyed Hezbollah’s underground 
network and we would not have 
exposed Iran’s weakness. The opera-
tions that we have carried out since 
the beginning of the war are dis-
mantling the axis brick by brick.
All of this was done because we 
insisted, because I insisted, on with-
standing the pressure, not giving in 
to diktat, and clinging to the goals 
of the war until absolute victory has 

been achieved. The absolute victory 
that we were mocked over is, today, 
becoming reality.
Citizens of Israel, after the fall of 
the regime in Damascus, Hamas 
is more isolated than ever. It had 
hoped for the “unity of the sectors” 
and instead it has received the 
crumbling of the sectors. It expected 
help from Hezbollah, and we took 
this from it. It expected help from 
Iran, and we also took this from 
it. It expected help from the Assad 
regime; this will not happen.
The isolation of Hamas opens an 
additional doorway to advancing a 
deal that will return our hostages. 
I said this to the hostages’ families 
that I met with. I must tell you, my 
wife and I meet with these dear 
family members all the time. I know 
what suffering they and their loved 
ones, the hostages, are enduring 
every day and every hour. Together 
with the members of the govern-
ment and all elements in the security 
establishment, we are leaving no 
stone unturned. We will not relent 
for a moment from the sacred mis-
sion of bringing back all of our hos-
tages — the living and the deceased.
Our history is a story of struggle, 
heroism and victory. We were here 
before our enemies, and we will be 
here after our enemies. The world 
has predicted countless times that 
our people — the people of Israel 
— would not survive, but we have 
repeatedly proven otherwise. The 
people of Israel will not break; the 
people of Israel will not surrender. 
Strength and hope grow from the 
pain and tears.
Great challenges are yet before us, 
but as I view the path we have taken 
together up until now, I am full of 
hope and faith in our marvelous 
people, our heroic soldiers and in 
the knowledge that this time as well, 
with God’s help, the Eternal One of 
Israel will not lie.” 

The above remarks were made by Israeli 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hebrew 

at a press conference in Jerusalem on 

Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.

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