Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) and Minister Benny Gantz (National Unity) on Saturday entered the town of Beit Hanon in the northern area of the Gaza Strip, where they held an operational situaiton assessment together with Commander of the Northern Brigade in the Gaza Division, Lt. Col. Haim Cohen. The Ministers later held a discussion with troops in the 969 Reserve Battalion.
Later, the two spoke with soldiers from the reserve battalion 969.
"Every building from where shootings or launches are conducted, and every source of terrorism, must be taken down so that the residents of Sderot [Israel’s south], may return home in peace, knowing that threatening infrastructure no longer stands," Gallant said.
"What you are doing here is reflected in all of Gaza," he added. "I am sure that [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar is sitting in his bunker and watching television, so he is also seeing how Beit Hanoun and Shejaiya look. And that is also true for the Hamas battalion commander who is fighting against our forces now in Khan Yunis - he understands how the story of the Beit Hanoun battalion ended. These images reverberate in the entire region."
Gantz said, "I want to thank you, in the name of all of Israel's citizens. This battle is one of the most important that the State of Israel has experienced, and it serves the residents of the south and radiates to other fronts as well."
"I am sure that [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is looking at what is happening here and he does not want to see it in his area."
Gallant added, "There needs to be a price for those who fight against the State of Israel and carry out a brutal murder of civilians, women and children - we are eliminating them."
"We are not talking about a small thing here, but about something existential in its very concept. It radiates out to the environment, because everyone has Google Maps and can do 'cut, paste,' from Gaza and see what is happening in Beirut. And that also has an effect."
"Take care of yourselves and continue doing the work," he concluded. "And together, we - Benny and myself and all of the members of the Cabinet - are united in providing support and aid to the reservists. It will be expressed soon, both financially and in other areas. Because at the end of the day, if there were those who had questions two or three months ago about whether we need so many reservists - I think that today they have no questions, in any place in the country."