Tal Russo
Tal RussoNoam Revkin Fenton/Flash90

Labor candidate Major General (res.) Tal Russo on Wednesday morning arrived at Kibbutz Holit in southern Israel to speak with Eshkol Regional Council Head Gadi Yarkoni and the leaders of Gaza-area towns.

"This is the first place I'm visiting, because I feel like it's a part of me," he told them. "I affirm that I am your representative. You bear the brunt of the country's burden."

"Anyone who works with me knows the true appreciation I have for Gaza[-area] residents."

"The people here stand strong and need to receive support," he added, telling them that he "has continued working" towards that end.

Russo also said that Wednesday's meeting was scheduled "before any of the apologies."

While discussing the issue of incendiary and explosive balloons sent from Gaza into Israel on Saturday, Russo said, "I think that it would be proper for residents of the Gaza-area towns to show a little bit more resilience. I was surprised by how they acted like crybabies when it came to the kite terror."

On Monday, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper apologized for "falsely quoting" Russo.

"Following an interview published in our weekly edition with Major General (res.) Tal Russo, another examination of the transcript of the interview shows that Russo did not say what was attributed to him regarding the residents of the Gaza perimeter. We apologize for the mistake," the newspaper stated in its correction.

Russo places second on the Labor party's list of candidates.