Israel's Netanyahu vows to 'finish the job' of destroying Hamas

Dan Williams, Bloomberg News on May 13, 2025

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he’s days away from ordering an all-out escalation of Israel’s war against Hamas, and even the release of more hostages would only pause the campaign to destroy the Iran-backed group.

Speaking to wounded military veterans on Monday, the Israeli leader said his armed forces are preparing to “finish the job” after 19 months of fighting in Gaza, and ready to attack “with full might.”

“Finishing the job means defeating Hamas,” Netanyahu said, according to a transcript released by his office.

“It could be that Hamas will say, ‘pause, we want to release another 10 hostages.’ Okay, then. Bring them. We’ll take them,” the prime minister said. “But under no circumstances shall we stop the war. We could enter a truce of a known duration, but we are going all the way.”

His comments came after Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and many other countries, released the last surviving U.S.-Israeli hostage after a deal with Washington. The militant group still holds another 58 Israelis, almost all of whom were taken during the October 2023 attacks that triggered the war. Less than half are believed to be alive.

International efforts to end the conflict in Gaza — where the United Nations says a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding — are expected to be on the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Israeli negotiators are in Qatar, the main Gaza mediator alongside Egypt, where Trump will travel to on Wednesday.

More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while much of the territory has been destroyed by Israeli bombing and other fighting. Israel has lost more than 400 troops in combat.

Israel has said it’s willing to discuss a proposal by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff for a deal under which Hamas would free 10 live hostages immediately, after which the sides would negotiate end-of-war terms.

But the Netanyahu government’s ultimate goal has always been for Hamas to lay down its weapons and be removed from Gaza. Hamas, which killed 1,200 people in the attack on Israel in 2023, has in the past indicated it could cede some governance, but not disarm.