Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the "day after" the war, stating that the Gaza Strip "is going to have to have sustained demilitarization, which can only be done by Israel against any resurgent terrorist effort."
In an interview with the American news outlet Punchbowl News, Netanyahu further stated, "There has to be a civilian administration to administer not only the distribution of humanitarian aid but also civil administration. That has to be done, I think best done, with the cooperation of an inter-Arab sponsorship and assistance by Arab countries."
"And then the third thing would be obviously some kind of deradicalization process that would begin in the schools and the mosques to teach these people a different future than the one of annihilating Israel and killing every Jew on the planet. And the fourth, it would be reconstruction, which would be largely taken, I think, by the international community."
In the interview, Netanyahu also attempted to clarify a video he released criticizing the United States for allegedly "withholding weapons and ammunition," a video that sparked anger in the U.S. administration. "I felt that airing it was absolutely necessary after months of quiet conversation that did not solve the problem," Netanyahu stated.
"We began to see that we had some significant problems emerging a few months ago. And in fact, we tried, in many, many quiet conversations between our officials and American officials, and between me and the president to try to iron out this diminution of supply," Netanyahu said.
"And we haven’t been able to solve it. Now this is crucial. It’s crucial for our common war aims to defeat Hamas and to prevent an escalation in Lebanon to a full-fledged war to have this supply. Because, otherwise, it hinders Israel’s ability to fight this war, which is an actual war of survival and multi-front war against Iran, that Iran terror axis and its various terrorist minions, Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and others."
"I raised this issue with Secretary Blinken. And I said that we are being told by our Defense Department officials that barely a trickle is coming in. He said, ‘Well, everything is in process. We’re doing everything to untangle it. And to clear up the bottlenecks.’"
"And I said, ‘Well, that’s what I expect to happen. Let’s make sure that it does happen. It must happen.’ And I quoted Churchill, who said to Roosevelt in World War II, ‘Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.’ I said, give us the tools, and we’ll finish the job a lot faster."
Netanyahu also issued his own statement, writing, "I am willing to endure personal attacks, as long as Israel receives the ammunition it needs from the U.S. for its existential war."