Netanyahu Meets with Emergency Government and Vows to "Eliminate Hamas"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held the first meeting of the expanded emergency government today, stating that "this visible national unity sends a message domestically and abroad as the country prepares to 'eliminate Hamas' in Gaza." Netanyahu welcomed former opposition lawmaker Benny Gantz, who joined the government along with several members of his party last week, asserting that all ministers are "working around the clock, with a united front." He added, "Hamas thought we would be destroyed; we will tear Hamas apart," and continued by saying that displaying unity "sends a clear message to the nation, the enemy, and the world." Netanyahu's office released a video showing the beginning of the meeting, held at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, where ministers stood for a minute of silence in honor of the approximately 1,300 Israelis killed in the surprise attack launched by Hamas on October 7.