Netanyahu Denies NYT Allegation He Prolonged Gaza War for Politics
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office slammed a New York Times Magazine article accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza war for political gain, calling the report defamatory and emphasizing the premier’s role in key military victories and hostage rescues.
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The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a sharp rebuke to a New York Times Magazine article published on July 11, 2025, titled "How Netanyahu Prolonged the War in Gaza to Stay in Power." The office denounced the article as defamatory, accusing it of recycling discredited claims from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political opponents and undermining Israel, its citizens, and its military.
The NYT article, based on over 110 interviews with high-ranking Israeli officials and foreign diplomats, alleged that Netanyahu deliberately extended the Gaza conflict to secure his political position. It claimed that in April 2024, a six-week ceasefire proposal was rejected by Netanyahu, who reportedly instructed advisors to suppress public discussion of the plan during a security cabinet meeting. The report portrayed Netanyahu as prioritizing personal political survival over peace negotiations.
In response, the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted Netanyahu’s decisive leadership in achieving significant military successes, including the covert detonation of Hezbollah pagers, the destruction of missile stockpiles, the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, and critical strikes against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The statement emphasized that these achievements, which it described as one of Israel’s greatest military comebacks, were driven by Netanyahu’s resolve, often against the advice of senior security officials who advocated for concessions to Hamas.
The office refuted claims that Netanyahu rejected a viable ceasefire deal, asserting that Hamas’s demands for Israel to withdraw from Gaza would have allowed the group to regroup and rearm, posing ongoing threats to Israel’s security. It also noted that Netanyahu’s policy of sustained military and diplomatic pressure secured the release of 205 out of 255 hostages, despite initial doubts from senior officials about their survival. The statement clarified that Netanyahu’s decisions were based on policy, not coalition pressures, and that he advanced hostage release deals even when opposed by coalition partners.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu was never concerned with his political survival, but with his country’s survival,” the statement concluded, affirming his commitment to securing the future of Israel as the Jewish state.