Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects ‘genocide' claims, says ‘no starvation' in Gaza
As haunting images continue to emerge from the streets of Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in the region.
In comments that have sent a shockwave through the world press, the under-fire leader suggested to reporters that Israel could wipe out the entire population before sundown if it tried.
'If we had wanted to commit genocide, it would have taken exactly one afternoon,' he said in response to ongoing claims the IDF are committing war crimes.
The remark came during a pair of press conferences with foreign and Israeli journalists, where Netanyahu also denied claims that Israel has used starvation as a weapon of war.
Speaking to domestic media, he claimed that Israel has never completely halted humanitarian aid to Gaza, despite his government having implemented the policy earlier this year.
'There is no starvation. There hasn't been starvation. There was a shortage. And certainly, there was no policy of starvation,' Netanyahu said.
'If we had wanted starvation, if that had been our policy, 2 million Gazans wouldn't be living today after 20 months.'
But ghastly images of malnourished children that have been published for the past two weeks by media organisation across the globe suggest Netanyahu's comments are not accurate.
Most of these images are far too graphic for publication.
The Israeli leader's comments were part of a defence of his government's decision to launch a major offensive in Gaza City, which he insists will lead to Hamas's defeat.
The operation has sparked intense criticism at home and abroad. Pro-Palestinian activists, left-wing Israeli groups, and several countries continue to rally to end the violence.
In response, Israel insists it is taking steps to avoid civilian casualties.
Addressing humanitarian aid, Netanyahu said the current aid system is being overhauled, blaming Hamas for stealing aid and accusing the United Nations of failing to distribute it effectively.
Facing growing international pressure, Israel has introduced measures aimed at increasing supply flows.
When asked whether his earlier decision to stop humanitarian aid had been a failed attempt to weaken Hamas, Netanyahu replied: 'We never said we were stopping all entry of humanitarian aid. What we said was that, alongside halting the trucks that Hamas was seizing — taking the vast majority of their contents for itself, then selling the leftovers at extortionate prices to the Palestinian population… we would stop this.'
But on March 2, the Prime Minister's Office stated: 'Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that, as of this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will cease.'
The move was presented as a way to cut off Hamas's revenue and pressure the group into concessions. The ban was reversed 11 weeks later after sustained pressure from allies, with Israel backing the US-led Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to deliver aid directly to civilians through four distribution points, bypassing Hamas and the UN.
The initiative drew criticism over deadly incidents near aid sites and limited access for civilians.
On Sunday, Netanyahu admitted the approach had failed.
'We didn't want to create starvation here — on the contrary, we wanted to bypass Hamas's looting and theft. Only it didn't work as we wanted… so we learned our lesson. We stopped it.'
He said Israel is now 'acting differently,' with more aid entering the territory, an expanded number of distribution points, secure corridors, and airdrops — which he claimed would avoid Hamas's control.
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