Minister Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity party, on Wednesday spoke about the building disaster in the Gaza Strip.
"The map of bereavement in the State of Israel was painted yesterday with 24 painful testimonials to the cost of revival, and the strength of an army that comes from the people, and whose members work for the people," he said.
"Our responsibility is that their death will not leave only a monument of memories, but actions. That the lesson about those who hurt us will be that we are more united and more determined than ever.
"The IDF has completed the siege of Khan Yunis. This is not the only point where we fight, and most certainly not the last point. We have many more targets and many more missions – in Gaza, in the north, in Judea and Samaria, and in other areas. Wherever there are terrorists and terrorist infrastructures, that could be the next target. There are many more military operations ahead of us."
In addition, Minister Gantz noted the leaks regarding the progress on discussions for the release of the hostages and said that, "In recent days we have witnessed continuous leaks on the outline of the agreement to release the hostages. These are tearing the families and the nation apart and harming the tremendous efforts being invested in this matter."
"The return of the hostages is not only a priority goal, but also a moral duty of the State. This goal is urgent, and it does not replace the commitment to remove the threat of Hamas, that we will not give up on. We will never give up on this.
"The desire to return the hostages alive is a source of strength. It is part of what makes us a society that strives for life and has something to fight for. I promise the families of the hostages and the entire nation, that just as we knew how to make difficult decisions in the past, we will know how to make these decisions in the future as well, if an outline to a serious deal is put on the table."
In conclusion, Gantz stressed, "Those who bear the responsibility are the leaders, not the television studios. The responsibility is only on us. This is the mandate of the emergency government – to make difficult decisions with broad public legitimacy. At this time, we will continue to fight, and we will continue to break through every path and every way possible to bring our loved ones home.”