MK Eitam (National Union/NRP), speaking on Voice of Israel Radio, said that the IDF's ground offensive in Gaza must have three objectives: toppling the Hamas government, killing terrorists all over Gaza, and finding the abducted soldier.
Asked how the Hamas government could be toppled, Eitam - who headed the Galilee Formation in the IDF - said, "We have to kill or capture its leaders, and cause the rest of them to run for their lives out to sea on small boats. The PA public must know that this will be the fate of any government that declares war on Israel."
Eitam further explained that Israel must restore its power of deterrence, "by killing dozens or hundreds of terrorists, those who attack us, those who dispatch the killers - wherever they are. It must be similar to Operation Defensive Shield that we did in Jenin and Yesha four years ago, which the Palestinians still well remember..."
The third objective, Eitam explained, is "to turn over every stone and every house in order to find the kidnapped soldier, dead or alive. We must not let the story of Ron Arad repeat itself, and must not enter into weary negotiations with Hamas."
Reminded that the number of Israeli casualties is still much lower than when Israel controlled and was present in Gaza, Eitam said, "It's not a question of number of casualties, but rather sovereignty. It's not Russian roulette, where we see how many people are killed or not killed by a Kassam. No country can tolerate attacks on its civilian population or on its military, and such attacks are cause for war."
Asked how the Hamas government could be toppled, Eitam - who headed the Galilee Formation in the IDF - said, "We have to kill or capture its leaders, and cause the rest of them to run for their lives out to sea on small boats. The PA public must know that this will be the fate of any government that declares war on Israel."
Eitam further explained that Israel must restore its power of deterrence, "by killing dozens or hundreds of terrorists, those who attack us, those who dispatch the killers - wherever they are. It must be similar to Operation Defensive Shield that we did in Jenin and Yesha four years ago, which the Palestinians still well remember..."
The third objective, Eitam explained, is "to turn over every stone and every house in order to find the kidnapped soldier, dead or alive. We must not let the story of Ron Arad repeat itself, and must not enter into weary negotiations with Hamas."
Reminded that the number of Israeli casualties is still much lower than when Israel controlled and was present in Gaza, Eitam said, "It's not a question of number of casualties, but rather sovereignty. It's not Russian roulette, where we see how many people are killed or not killed by a Kassam. No country can tolerate attacks on its civilian population or on its military, and such attacks are cause for war."