Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said in an interview with the British Daily Mail that Hamas underestimated Israel's response to the October 7th attack.
"It's hard to bring democracies to fight wars, but once we are in one, we are much stronger because we are fighting to defend our values," Gallant stated.
"In the northern region of Gaza, Hamas is suffering massive losses, and we are achieving our military goals. Hamas terrorists have two options: die or surrender," he explained.
Gallant claimed in the interview that Hamas propaganda is spreading across universities. "Hamas propaganda is influencing universities and protests, and money is being poured in, which is activating terror networks around the world," Gallant told the newspaper.
"This is a collision course between civilizations. Hamas represents a medieval phenomenon," he added.
According to Gallant, Israel is the front line preventing Hamas' ideology from reaching the Western world: "When there is a fire in the first house, you have to stop it from spreading in the village and reaching the church. Israel is like the first house. We are fighting on the frontline of the free world against terrorism."
Regarding reports that Hamas has been commandeering humanitarian aid reaching the Strip, the Defense Minister stated: "Hamas uses every tool possible – including sacrificing hundreds of thousands of civilians. They are capitalizing on the humanitarian situation and using the civilian population. They have built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under hospitals, schools, etc. They are using hospitals and civilian infrastructure to protect terror infrastructure."