Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the assembly areas today, near the Gaza Strip border, and took upon himself the responsibility, saying, "I am responsible for the security system. I am responsible for it in the past two weeks, including the difficult events. I am responsible for leading it to victory in the battle."
Gallant: "The battle will be tough, we will pay the price"
Gallant described the combat spirit coming from the soldiers, saying, "I met with the fighters, and I see the determination, the combat spirit, and above all, the immense motivation to do everything that is required of IDF soldiers to defeat Hamas, to eliminate its infrastructure, and to carry out the tasks as needed."
He then addressed the Hamas terror attack, saying, "We faced a serious attack almost two weeks ago. Its goal was to kill women, children, and the elderly, and to take people captive." He continued, "But they had another goal, to broadcast all of this and deter the residents of the State of Israel from living in this place in order to undermine our security."
According to the Defense Minister, "I have been leading soldiers into battle for 45 years. I am responsible for the security system, and I have been responsible for it in the past two weeks, also during difficult events, and I am responsible for leading it to victory."
In conclusion, he said, "The battle will be prolonged and difficult. We will be precise, sharp, and lethal. We will pay the price and continue until we complete the mission in full."