The Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, said on a visit to the Gaza Strip that Israel's military operations in the enclave will continue for some time but will change as it assesses the situation.
“The feeling that we will stop soon is incorrect — without a clear victory, we will not be able to live in the Middle East," the official said.
Gallant made a visit to the soldiers of the 99th Division inside Gaza along the Salah Al-Din route, the central road connecting north and south Gaza. He said it was vital to hold the route “in order to strengthen achievements in the northern area of the Gaza strip, while focusing efforts on the area of Khan Younis,” according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“We must emerge victorious for two reasons — first in order to exact a price, and to ensure that anyone living near the Gaza strip may do so safely. In addition – a scenario in which 1,500 people are killed or taken hostage, must end with clear-cut deterrence and victory, otherwise we cannot live in the Middle East. As such, we are determined to achieve our goals,” Gallant said.
He contended that there were “several thousand [Hamas fighters] out of the 15 or 18 thousand that were in this area.”
“A large number of terrorists were eliminated, while some fled to the south. This means that in this place, tactically speaking, we will operate via firepower, some maneuvering, special operations, and if necessary, we will hold this area for a period of time. The goal is to exhaust the enemy [Hamas terrorists] and eliminate them," he said.
Gallant asserted that “in the north we destroyed 12 Hamas battalions. This does not mean that we have eliminated all the terrorists – but the scenario in which a terrorist may pick up binoculars, report back, shoot mortars, and then a battalion commander sends over maneuvering forces — this scenario is irrelevant here.”
He added: “In the southern area of the Gaza strip, the reality is different,” and that in Khan Younis operations were focused on what is above the tunnels where “senior Hamas officials are hiding, at great depths."
Gallant insisted that operations were changing, and not stopping.
“Our course of action changes as a function of our accomplishments and situation assessments. We are not giving up — it's not that we are stopping our activities now —there is an incorrect feeling [about this] that I have been hearing," he added.
"We are ending this campaign when Hamas no longer functions as a governing body and certainly not as a military body that sends troops [to conduct attacks]. Now we continue maintaining our capabilities," he said.
Gallant then spoke briefly about the northern border with Lebanon, describing it as an additional threat. “We will begin a preparation process to address this. We are constantly watching the arena and holding a finger on the trigger, as far as what is happening in the northern arena.”
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January 02, 2024 at 11:46PM
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