ISTANBUL

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time has publicly admitted his government's failure to protect people from Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7 of last year.

In an exclusive interview with Dr. Phil's Primetime, a YouTube channel, on Thursday, Netanyahu was asked if he had failed in this matter, he said: "I hold myself and everyone on this."

“The government’s first responsibility is to protect the people. That's the ultimate enveloping responsibility, and people weren't protected. We have to admit that,” Netanyahu said.

Following Oct. 7, pressure mounted on the Israeli premier to resign from office due to his lack of intelligence regarding the attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which claimed it was in response to Tel Aviv's oppressive policies and actions against Palestinians over decades.

Several surveys conducted in Israel in recent months also found that people want Netanyahu to step down.

Netanyahu's admission of his government's failure comes after US President Joe Biden announced to halt the supply of certain weapons to Israel if a large-scale ground operation in Rafah was launched.

However, Netanyahu expressed hope that he and Biden could resolve their differences over the ongoing attacks on Gaza.

“We often had our agreements, but we've had our disagreements we've been able to overcome them. I hope we can overcome them now. But we will do what we have to do to protect our country,” he said.

He reiterated Israel's demand for the establishment of "some kind of civilian government by Gazans who are not committed to our destruction possibly with the aid of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries wanting to see stability and peace,” while addressing plans for the future of the Gaza Strip after the war.

Netanyahu calling pro-Palestinian students in US ‘ignorant’

Netanyahu criticized pro-Palestinian students in US universities, calling them “ignorant,” adding: “That's Israel when they say rip from the river to the sea. That's wipe out the state of Israel. They're supporting genocide.”

Antisemitism is on the rise in the US, Israeli premier said, claiming that this phenomenon to "the fusion of radical Islam with ultra-anarchist left."

“They agree on is that Israel has to be destroyed and America has to be destroyed,” he added.

More than 2,000 people, including students, have been arrested during pro-Palestine demonstrations in the United States, with protesters demanding that universities divest from Israel and condemning the onslaught on Gaza, which has killed nearly 35,000 people.

Nationwide demonstrations gained momentum last month after Columbia University asked the New York Police Department to forcibly evict students who staged an encampment on a campus lawn. More than 100 people were arrested, but the protesters quickly adapted and formed another sit-in.

They were forcibly removed late Tuesday by police from that site, as well as a building they occupied.

Students in other countries including Canada, Australia, France and Egypt have also organized demonstrations at universities in solidarity with Palestine.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack in October, which killed less than 1,200 people.

More than 34,900 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of whom have been women and children. Over 78,500 others have been injured, according to Palestinian health authorities. Thousands remain missing.

Seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN. Most of the displaced have sought refuge in Rafah following earlier Israeli evacuation orders.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in the coastal enclave, and ordered Tel Aviv to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians.