On the eve of the third anniversary of October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened today's Government meeting with a grim tribute to the victims of what he called the terrible massacre in the Gaza border communities, honoring the soldiers who fell in what Israel terms the War of Redemption alongside the women, men, children, and babies murdered that day. He told ministers that Israeli forces have eliminated 4,000 of the roughly 6,000 Hamas operatives it has been pursuing since the attack, insisting none of the remaining fighters have immunity and vowing that every one of them will eventually be reached. Netanyahu declared flatly that Hamas rule in Gaza will be eradicated, framing the past three years as a direct response to the atrocities committed on October 7.

Netanyahu also used the moment to claim a broader strategic shift, arguing Israel is now the strongest military power in the Middle East while its adversaries have been left weaker than at any point in recent memory. He pointed to the Tekuma region in the Western Negev as proof of that turnaround, noting that roughly 90 percent of displaced residents have returned home and that new families are now moving into rebuilt kibbutzim, moshavim, and towns, with a similar recovery underway in the north. Turning to security, Netanyahu warned that Hamas, despite being severely weakened, may attempt a provocation with its remaining forces in the run-up to upcoming elections in hopes of swaying the vote. He said Israel is ready to stop any such attempt and would answer with overwhelming force, closing with a blunt message to Israel's enemies not to test the country after what it did across seven fronts during the war.