Defense Minister Benny Gantz told Channel 12 News in an interview on Tuesday evening that "no promise was made to release terrorists, but there will be a dialogue."
"Israel achieved all the goals it achieved, we preserved the freedom of action," said the Defense Minister. "We have a dialogue with the Egyptians, they said they want to act and see how this matter is resolved."
“[Islamic Jihad leader in Samaria] Al-Saadi was rightly arrested and I do not know of any promise to release terrorists - there will be a dialogue about things. I don't want to just promise that they won't be released - we don't keep people in prison for no reason. The issue of the return of the boys is a critical issue, it should be part of the solution for a long-term vision."
"I want to make it clear - Hamas is not Israel's partner, it is one of Israel's targets," he added. "As long as the calm continues in the south - we will allow work and basic economic well-being for the residents of Gaza. This is something that can happen, we have prepared the possibility that Hamas will join the campaign. We are always preparing for a broad development."
"We have to honestly say that the Islamic Jihad is a weaker organization than Hamas, which is weaker than Hezbollah," Gantz explained. "It's not something to be underestimated, we have to treat our enemies the same way, big and small."