Israel’s Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Army Chief of Staff have said that its army has lost its best officers and soldiers in the battles with the Hamas military wing in the Gaza Strip. “We knew we will have tough days ahead of us and today is one of them,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a joint press conference on Monday evening. He expressed his regret for the death of Israeli soldiers, admitting that the army faces a fierce enemy in Gaza and said “there is no war without casualties”.
Netanyahu called on the Israelis to prepare for a long battle, stressing that he will not accept any agreement that does not guarantee the disarming of the Gaza Strip. “The removal of the Palestinian factions’ arms and preventing their getting arms in the future must be part of any solution,” he insisted. Calling on the international community to insist on this demand, he said that this should be done “instead of allowing money and cement to enter Gaza to build the tunnels”. The prime minister claimed that Hamas has violated all ceasefire agreements.
Defence Minister Ya’alon, meanwhile, described last night as “difficult” and pointed out that “Israel will continue to work vigorously in Gaza and will not accept any future settlement that does not guarantee the security of Israelis.” He admitted to losing Israel’s “best sons at the hands of Hamas”, adding that he “will order the army to expand and deepen the operations against the Islamic resistance” in the days to come.
“We will direct strong blows against Hamas in the coming days,” claimed Ya’alon. The minister stressed that the military assault will have an impact on Israel’s future. “We stand behind the army commanders and soldiers who are taking part in this sacred operation,” he said, adding that he will work to prevent Hamas arming in the future. “We will be patient and continue this operation until we restore calm and security.”
According to Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, he had lost “leaders and friends during the operation in the Gaza Strip… But we understand this pain.”
Gantz pointed to the seriousness of the tunnels scattered along the border with the Gaza Strip, saying that Israel is dealing with a wide range of “offensive” tunnels and insisted on inspecting every tunnel. The level of operations against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, said Gantz, will be raised “where necessary”.