Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joked that he’s “lost a little weight” since October 7 when asked what had changed since the massacre almost 1,000 days ago, Ynet reported on Tuesday.
After the initial quip, he clarified that the attack reshaped his approach to Israel’s security while widespread pushes for accountability for the attacks loom.
“After October 7, I learned lessons,” Netanyahu said. “Buffer zones should be in enemy territory, not in ours. I stand firm on our interests. I have enormous appreciation for our soldiers, our commanders and the security services, but what happened after October 7 made me understand even more strongly that we have a state with an army, not the other way around.”
These comments came during an interview with Channel 14, in which the prime minister was asked about a myriad of issues. Netanyahu said “relations are very good” with President Trump before the conversation pivoted to the Israel-Iran situation.
Though he recently claimed that Hezbollah was “the most important link in the Iranian axis,” and that IDF troops would remain in Lebanon as long as the terrorist organization poses a threat, he focused on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and vowed a third attack, if necessary.
“In Iran, we saved ourselves from atomic bombs,” he said. “They will not have nuclear weapons.”
Netanyahu stays quiet on Gaza settlement question
This assertion came after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a plan for three settlements in northern Gaza on Monday, pending the prime minister’s approval. The plans are facing major international backlash, with many recalling Netanyahu’s historic rejection of Gaza settlements.
Netanyahu opted away from a clear stance on the issue, simply underscoring that he does not have to “provoke the world at every moment.”
On the thread of foreign affairs, when asked about recent remarks from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Netanyahu warned that he should “calm down.”
“We will not allow anyone to threaten our security. What is happening in Turkey is the result of Iran’s declining power. He forgot that Ottoman rule ended 400 years ago,” he continued. “Does it worry me? Of course.”
Netanyahu avoids direct answer on cost of living
The interviewer also pushed about the skyrocketing cost of living in Israel, to which Netanyahu avoided a direct answer.
With expensive groceries, soaring rent prices, and a Tel Aviv street shawarma running a resident NIS 72, Netanyahu opted to stay vague, claiming “there is much to do about it.”
Israel is one of the most expensive countries in the world, notably in food and housing, surpassing Europe's wealthiest countries, with possible solutions a long way from implementation.