Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Remarks at the AIPAC Congressional Summit

On February 25, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC Congressional Summit, reaffirming Israel’s unwavering commitment to security and the eradication of Hamas. He emphasized the resilience of the Israeli people, the bravery of its soldiers, and the importance of U.S.-Israel relations, highlighting his recent meeting with President Donald Trump. Netanyahu underscored the necessity of “total victory,” the return of all hostages, and the broader fight between civilization and barbarism. He also discussed regional security measures, including actions in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and expressed gratitude for AIPAC’s steadfast support. Below is the full text of Netanyahu’s remarks.

Am I going to say that today, our hostages’ families, who have loved ones still in Gaza... thus far, we’ve returned 192 hostages, and I want to assure you, we will return all our hostages back to Israel. I stand before you today—parents, sons and daughters, families—each of us knows the joy of new life.

The first cry of our newborns, their first smile, their first steps. We remember the sleepless nights spent watching over them, the whispered prayers for their safety, the unshakable hope that they will grow up in a better world. Yarden and Shiri Bibas shared that same hope.

As young parents, as Jews, as Israelis, they dreamed of providing their little children love and security and a bright future. But on October 7, pure evil invaded their home. Hamas kidnapped them—Yarden, Shiri, and their two baby boys, Ariel and Kfir.

Ariel was just four years old, Kfir a mere nine months. Two freckled, red-headed, lovely children, their eyes filled with innocence—angels among us. Who can murder babies? Who can do this? The Hamas monsters, that’s who.

They slaughtered Shiri before her own children, then they strangled Ariel and Kfir. They crushed their tiny skulls with unspeakable cruelty and barbarism. What monsters. Their evil knows no bounds.

How can the world witness such horror and remain silent? You know Edmund Burke, who said, ‘For evil to triumph, the good need only remain silent.’ And I say, we will not remain silent. Don’t remain silent.

Israel will not be silent. Israel will not allow this darkness to endure. We will eradicate Hamas.

We will uproot their wickedness. We will ensure that no child, no parents, no family will ever face such horror again. This is our duty.

This is our sacred obligation. For we are fighting a war between civilization and barbarism. And I say, civilization must win, and civilization will win.

And that’s why I say, every nation that calls itself civilized must demand the immediate release of all the hostages. Every voice of conscience must rise against this evil. The sacrifice of our sons and daughters will carry with it a meaning for generations.

The destruction of evil and the assurance of Israel’s victory. And when I say victory, I mean total victory. That is our goal, and nothing else will suffice.

My friends, throughout my years as Prime Minister, my recent trip, my recent meeting with President Trump was perhaps the most significant and most consequential I’ve had with any American president. Our five-hour meeting was warm, was personal. It was the first visit by a foreign leader after President Trump’s second inauguration.

And today, I can clearly say the alliance between the United States and Israel has never been stronger. And yes, I completely agree with what was said a minute ago. Israel has no greater friend than America, and America has no greater friend than us. I deeply appreciate President Trump’s firm stance that helped us free our hostages. And I thank him for his immediate directive to ship essential weapons to Israel.

These new weapons will greatly assist us in achieving all our war aims. At the same time, we approved a huge budget for Israeli-made, homemade development of the most advanced weapon systems on the planet. This will greatly enhance our independence and our ability to defend ourselves.

My friends, on October 7, our enemies thought that we were doomed. They thought we were finished. Well, since then, we have turned the tables on them.

We arose from the most difficult single day in Israel’s history, and we waged war against those who sought to destroy us. And you should see the courage of our soldiers. You should see these young men and women—the way they put themselves into the line of fire, the way they rescue their comrades, the way they fight the enemy with unmatched resolve and courage.

And I think you should also see, and you probably do see, the resolution of our people and the way that they carry themselves through the most turbulent time. All this paved the way for a victory that is within our reach. We will achieve all our war objectives: the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza, the return of all our hostages—both the living and the dead—ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future, and securing the safe return of all our citizens to their homes, both in the north and in the south.

Now, my friends, we spoke here last year, and so much has changed since then. A year ago, the IDF did not control Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor. Sinwar, Deif, Nasrallah—they were all alive, and countless other terror chiefs.

Two days after the war began, I said, we will change the face of the Middle East. We’re doing exactly that. We’re doing that thanks to the heroism of our fighters, the resolve of our people, and the bold decisions we have taken, often in the face of enormous pressure from both home and abroad.

In Gaza, we will liberate our hostages and free Gaza from the tyranny of Hamas. We support President Trump’s groundbreaking plan to allow Gaza the freedom of choice to leave and to create a new Gaza. Everybody says, or they used to say, Gaza is the biggest open-air prison on earth. Well, why? We let our Gazans leave if they want to. In fact, 150,000 left during the war. Some had to bribe their way out. They didn’t have to bribe us. Now, through passports—150,000 Gazans left during the war. Why not give them a choice to leave? What is this insane narrative that says, no, we have to keep them shuttered? We can’t allow Gazans to choose where they want to be at any given time? That’s why President Trump’s program is important, and it’s a change. It’s not same old, same old. It’s a new thing, and it should be supported and realized.

In Judea and Samaria, our forces are moving deep into the terror camps. They’re destroying terrorists. They’re destroying their chiefs. They’re destroying their infrastructure. And we will remain in those camps as long as is necessary.

In Lebanon, we have brought Hezbollah to its knees, and we are strictly enforcing the ceasefire agreement. We will not tolerate any violation and any threat from Hezbollah, and we will hold strategic points along both sides of our northern border to ensure that our communities are never again threatened by ground invasion from Lebanon.

So I say to you in closing, united we stand, united we are invincible. Am Yisrael Chai.

Thank you, AIPAC.

Source: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Addresses AIPAC,” AIPAC, (February 25, 2025).