‘Who Takes a Baby Hostage?’ Netanyahu Rips Hamas’ ‘Savagery’ in Defense of Israeli Rescue Efforts

CNN’s Dana Bash confronted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a litany of questions about whether his government is doing all it can to avoid killing civilians caught in their war against Hamas.

Netanyahu gave an interview to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday as Israel moves into its second month of counteroffensives against the Hamas terror organization. Bash began with the fighting that has broken out around the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, where patients are at risk and Palestinians have been seeking shelter in droves while the Israeli government claims Hamas has been hospitals as cover.

“How do you intend to go after Hamas without putting sick and injured civilians in that hospital at more risk than they already are?” Bash asked. The prime minister answered by referring to Israel’s call to evacuate hospitals in the region, adding “There’s no reason why we just can’t take the patients out of there instead of letting Hamas use it as a command center for terrorism.”

“What would America do?” Netanyahu asked in a rhetorical question. “It would take all its force and go after these killers. What if these killers embed themselves in hospitals, schools, U.N. facilities? You’d do everything in your power to get the civilians out, which is what we’re doing. We called them to leave, but you certainly wouldn’t give immunity top the terrorists. We’re obviously treading carefully when it comes to hospitals, but we’re also not going to give immunity to the terrorists.”

When Bash moved on by asking if he thinks Hamas’ hostages are being kept below the hospital, spoke to the viciousness of Hamas’ kidnapping and murder of Israeli civilians.

“Imaging a baby is held hostage. Who takes a baby hostage?” He said. “What is this, taking children hostage? Threatening to kill them? This is savagery of the highest order. We’re doing everything in our power to achieve two things: one, destroy Hamas, because without it, none of us have a future. It’s not only our war. It’s your war too, its the battle of civilization against barbarism. If we don’t win here, this scourge will pass to other places. The Middle East will fall, Europe is next, you’ll be next. The first goal is to destroy Hamas and the second goal is to bring back our hostages. We’re trying to do both.”

The interview continued with Netanyahu blaming Hamas for endangering the lives of civilians, and continuing to defend Israeli efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

Watch above via CNN.