Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that Israel is doing everything possible to keep civilians safe during its battle with Hamas in Gaza, including dropping leaflets urging them to flee, but its attempts to minimize human losses "do not succeed." In an interview with CBS News, Netanyahu was asked whether the killing of thousands of Palestinians in response to Hamas's attack on October 7 would ignite a new generation of hatred. Netanyahu responded, "Any death among civilians is a tragedy. We should have no casualties because we do everything we can to keep civilians safe, while Hamas does everything it can to keep them in harm's way."
Netanyahu stated, "That is why we send leaflets, and we call them on their mobile phones and say, 'Leave.' Many have left." Israel claims that the goal of its military campaign is to destroy Hamas. He added, "The other thing I can say is that we will try to complete this mission with as few civilian casualties as possible. This is what we are trying to do: minimize civilian casualties. But unfortunately, we are not succeeding."
Netanyahu then wanted to make a comparison regarding Germany, but the CBS host interrupted him to ask about Gaza's post-war security. Palestinian civilians bear the brunt of the ongoing Israeli military campaign in response to the Hamas attack, which Israel states has resulted in the death of 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Gaza's health authorities report that at least 11,500 people have been confirmed killed in the Israeli bombardment and ground invasion, more than 4,700 of whom are children. The war has displaced two-thirds of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million population.
