‘Give Them a Choice’ to Leave, Netanyahu Says of Gazans

The Israeli prime minister also said Israel reserves the right to not reveal when ’the gates of Hell would be opened' if Hamas doesn’t release all hostages.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with the U.S. Secretary of State at his office in Jerusalem on Feb. 16, 2025. Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday evening, after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that he wants Gazans to have the option to leave the area.

“Why not give Gazans a choice?” he said in remarks to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “Everybody said this is the largest open-air prison in the world. Not because of us, we let people leave.”