section_path: Prime minister (2022–present)/Sixth term
section_name: Sixth term
paragraph_text: Sixth term
  
  After the 2022 election, Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister again as the leader of a hardline coalition. He officially started his sixth term on 29 December 2022.
  
  The first months of Netanyahu's sixth term were centered around a proposed reform package in the judicial branch, which drew widespread criticism. Critics highlighted the negative effects it would have on the separation of powers, the office of the Attorney General, the economy, public health, women and minorities, workers' rights, scientific research, the overall strength of Israel's democracy and its foreign relations. After weeks of public protests on Israel's streets, joined by a growing number of military reservists, Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant spoke against the reform on 25 March, calling for a halt of the legislative process "for the sake of Israel's security". Netanyahu announced his intention to remove Gallant from his post the following day, sparking further mass protests across Israel and ultimately leading to Netanyahu agreeing to delay the legislation for a month.
  
  In February 2023, the new government under Netanyahu approved the legalization of nine settler outposts in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took charge of most of the Civil Administration, obtaining broad authority over civilian issues in the West Bank. Israeli peace groups condemned the move as de jure annexation of the occupied territories. In March 2023, Netanyahu's government repealed a 2005 law whereby four Israeli settlements, Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim and Kadim, were dismantled as part of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. In June 2023, Netanyahu's coalition shortened the procedure of approving settlement construction and gave Finance Minister Smotrich the authority to approve one of the stages, changing the system operating for the last 27 years. In its first six months, construction of 13,000 housing units in settlements, almost triple the amount advanced in the whole of 2022.
  
  Israel refused to send lethal weapons to Ukraine. In June 2023, Netanyahu said that Israel is concerned "with the possibility that systems that we would give to Ukraine would fall into Iranian hands and could be reverse engineered, and we would find ourselves facing Israeli systems used against Israel."
  
  On 7 October 2023, after Palestinian militants from Gaza launched a major surprise attack, Netanyahu announced that Israel would enter in a state of war against Hamas. He threatened to "turn all the places where Hamas is organized and hiding into cities of ruins", called Gaza "the city of evil", and urged its residents to "leave now". He later proposed that opposition parties Yesh Atid and National Unity enter an emergency unity government amid the conflict, after Leader of the Opposition Lapid urged Nethanyahu put "aside our differences and form an emergency, narrow, professional government."
  
  Netanyahu was criticized for presiding over Israel's biggest intelligence failure in 50 years, and has faced protests calling for his removal. The outbreak of war led to increased opposition to Netanyahu and the government from Israeli citizens due to a perceived failure to anticipate the Hamas-led attack, with increased calls for Netanyahu's resignation. A poll in 2023 showed that 56% of Israelis believed that Netanyahu must resign after the war, with 86% of respondents holding the country's leadership responsible for the security failings that led to the attack. On 28 October 2023, Netanyahu was accused of using "dangerous rhetoric" when comparing Hamas to Amalek, stating: "You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember." On 29 October, Netanyahu blamed Israel's security chiefs for Hamas's attack in a post on X (formerly Twitter); this was later deleted following criticism. A subsequent investigation carried out by Shin Bet acknowledged the agency's failures but also found that Shin Bet warned the prime minister that Hamas was not deterred and objected to the divide-and-rule policy vis-a-vis Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
  
  On 11 November 2023, he rejected calls for a ceasefire in the war and warned that Israel will "stand firm against the world if necessary." He said the Israel Defense Forces would remain in Gaza "as long as necessary" and Israel would prevent the Palestinian Authority from returning to Gaza. Netanyahu called allegations that Israel is breaking international law "hogwash" and described Palestinian civilian casualties as "collateral damage." On 5 December 2023, he faced criticism during a meeting with released Israeli hostages. One of the hostages accused him of putting politics "above the return of the kidnapped." In December 2023, Netanyahu said that Israel should support the "voluntary migration" of Palestinians from Gaza. Netanyahu has been accused of genocide by non-governmental organizations, culminating in the South Africa v. Israel case before the International Court of Justice in December 2023.
  
  On 20 May 2024, Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced his intention to apply for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on several counts of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
  
  On 24 July 2024, Netanyahu addressed another joint session of the United States Congress, amidst widespread protest, to solicit support for the Gaza war. He called protesters " useful idiots " and pledged a "total victory" in Gaza. On 24 July, he met with 2024 Republican nominee for president Donald Trump in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago residence where he criticized presumptive Democratic nominee for President Kamala Harris for vowing that she "will not be silent" about atrocities in Gaza.
  
  On 19 October 2024, a drone attack believed to have originated from Lebanon was made on Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea. Netanyahu was not in the residence at the time, while no casualties were reported. Netanyahu accused Hezbollah of trying to assassinate him in the attack.
  
  On 5 November 2024, Netanyahu fired defense minister Yoav Gallant, who had advocated for a short-term diplomatic deal. The firing triggered protests throughout Israel. On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defense minister Gallant and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif for alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza war. Netanyahu described the ruling as "absurd and false lies" and said the decision is "antisemitic".
  
  On the night of 18 March 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively ending the 2025 Gaza war ceasefire. Netanyahu was scheduled on 18 March to testify in his corruption trial, but as a result of the attacks, the legal proceedings were postponed. In March 2025, Netanyahu fired Ronen Bar, the chief of the Shin Bet intelligence service, citing a loss of confidence in him. Ronen Bar accused the government of firing him for investigating Qatar 's involvement and influence in the Prime Minister's Office, in a case known as the Qatari connection affair.
  
  On 13 June 2025, Netanyahu authorized airstrikes against Iran, marking the beginning of the Iran–Israel war. Within a week, Netanyahu publicly commented on the effects of the war: "Each of us bears a personal cost, and my family has not been exempt", as he cited that it was "the second time that my son Avner has cancelled a wedding due to missile threats."