With a banner reading "Open your eyes to Hamas's lies" in the background, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his version of the war and strategy in the Gaza Strip, visibly irritated by the international reporting. He addressed fake news, among other things, and defended the controversial decision to take Gaza City."We have no other choice," he said. He also said Israel hopes to end the war soon. Netanyahu also promised improved aid.

The press conference in Jerusalem was eagerly anticipated, as it was the first time Netanyahu addressed the press since the Security Cabinet's controversial decision last week to take control of Gaza City. Furthermore, the international press was allowed to ask questions afterward.

Netanyahu defended plans to advance further into the Gaza Strip and capture Gaza City."Since Hamas refuses to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and completely defeat Hamas," he said.

The new military plan is the best way to end the war. We don't want it to last much longer.

Benjamin Netanyahu

"Our goal is not to occupy the Gaza Strip, but to liberate Gaza (from the extremist group Hamas, ed.)," Netanyahu added."The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are begging the world to liberate them from Hamas." He does not want to prolong the war - which has now lasted 22 months - for too long, he said."I cannot give an exact timeline, but we are talking about a fairly short period because we want to end the war.

"The new military plan for Gaza is the best way to end the war. I don't want to prolong the war, I want to end it." If the war drags on too long, the Israeli hostages could starve to death, it was said.

The goal is to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, with the Israeli army providing security in the future and a new, non-Israeli civil administration.

LOOK AT

Watch: Netanyahu presents his plan during the press conference

Adjusting the image of the international press

It quickly became clear that Netanyahu wanted to make a point of adjusting the foreign press's reporting on the war and famine. He blamed Hamas for many of the problems, such as food shortages, civilian deaths, and the destruction, which he alleged was looting the food convoys."They still have thousands of armed terrorists in Gaza," he said.

He also criticized what he called"fake reporting" from the New York Times, among others, which had printed a photo of a mother with an emaciated child on its cover, while he claimed the child was not so thin due to a food shortage but to an illness.

Netanyahu further announced the creation of"protected corridors" in the Gaza Strip for international aid, and the creation of new distribution points for food aid.

These distribution points have been heavily criticized because they are controlled by the controversial GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-American organization) and not by the United Nations. Dozens of people have already died during the distribution of food aid. Doctors Without Borders has been very critical of GHF, saying, among other things,"This is not aid, but orchestrated murder."

The airdrops will also continue, Netanyahu said. Israel will provide them, but he urged other countries to continue doing so.