Chairman of the National Unity party, Minister Benny Gantz, called a press conference this evening (Tuesday) and commented on the talks regarding the hostage deal and the continuation of the fighting.
Minister Gantz said that "there is no other country in the world, where young people board a plane to return to Israel, leave businesses, leave families, and arrive within hours on the battlefield. First, I want to say thank you, on behalf of the entire people of Israel, to the hundreds of thousands of reservists, some of whom have been released and some of whom are still on the front line or in the home command."
He added, "You reservists and your families deserve to be saluted and thanked, and at the same time, you deserve that we should take care of you. Whatever you need from the state, you will get. National priorities must start here. Even tonight, we will strengthen the soldiers and the security forces, embrace the wounded and the bereaved families, and remember that even if we are facing a long and challenging period, we are not going back to October 6th."
Gantz attacked the discourse in the political echelon and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, "Unfortunately, in recent days there are those who have forgotten this in the leadership and are conducting a divisive discourse in the Knesset. They have turned the cabinet meetings into performances to attack the IDF. They compare the television studios to our enemies. To those who murdered our daughters and sons."
"Being a public leader in a time of crisis is a great responsibility. I call on everyone from all sides of the political map, one moment before you speak – think about the soldiers and the hostages, think about where we ended up, and why. The citizens of Israel deserve more than this from us," he said.
Regarding the hostages, he said, "We are working these days to promote an outline for the return of our hostages. This is the result of military pressure, of our resilience as a society that desires life, and of policy actions we are taking, including the involvement of the dear and brave families of the hostages."
"They have so much determination. The return of the hostages is an integral part of our victory and does not replace our duty to remove the threat of Hamas. If we achieve this goal – it will be a step on the way to victory."
Gantz reprimanded his fellow members of the government, "At this time, it is not right to give our enemies information and state our red lines, and there are. Even my friends and I have these. We keep them behind closed doors, to avoid harming the general effort and to ensure a good plan, even if it is painful. When there is a consolidated plan – we will present it to the public with full transparency, and we will have it approved by the government."
He added, "In the fighting in Gaza – we have moved to the 'targeted’ stage. It is not necessarily less intense – but goal-oriented. And if we have to, we will intensify the fighting. Khan Yunis, the terrorists’ capital, has been surrounded – there are those that are going out, but no one is going in. The same is true in the north of the Gaza Strip. We will soon reach Rafah and wherever Hamas terrorists are located. We also continue to exact a toll in the north of the country, until our residents return safely. The IDF has proven in recent months that it knows how to find the solutions to any mission."
Gantz continued, "There were those who warned us against entering this war. But our soldiers are displaying extraordinary determination and groundbreaking abilities in fighting against a terrorist army. We have also proved today that our ground army can bring about unprecedented operational successes. At the same time – we cannot ensure instant victories. We will win, and it will be long and complex. Unfortunately, it involves ‘blood, sweat, and tears.’ But we will win, because the nation of eternity ‘is not afraid of long and difficulty journeys’."
"Unfortunately, we lost precious time in progressing to abolish Hamas' regimes mainly in the northern Gaza Strip, because we were dragging our feet."
Regarding the transfer of aid to Gaza, Gantz said, "Now, as a matter of urgency, we must promote an outline under which food will be delivered to Gaza through international entities that are not affiliated with Hamas, such as UNRWA, even if it requires stopping or reducing quantities. Or if we allow the entry of trucks from the north of Gaza and not from the south. All options are on the table – as long as they do not involve Hamas."
"Our goal is 100% security control – 0% civilian control. For this to happen, the world must also join in the effort. Only then will we be able to provide more aid to the residents and not have to go through the terrorists."
Gantz later said, "The State of Israel is in the process of promoting normalization agreements with Saudi Arabia and other countries, supported by our great friend the US. This is a process in which I am directly involved. This can strengthen us against Iran and its partners and also help bring in moderate elements that will make it possible to remove the Hamas rule in Gaza and replace it with one that neither engages in terrorism, nor educates to terrorism. The expansion of the Abraham Accords will be a regional success, that Hamas sought to prevent on October 7th. It can be part of the solution, and a step on the way to victory."
"And yet, we must emphasize what we will continue to do under any circumstances: we will continue our efforts to return our hostages, until they return alive. We will not stop until we remove the threat of Hamas, drive away Hezbollah, and allow our residents to return to the south and the north safely. Under any circumstances, we are responsible for our own security. Israel will continue to control security and fight against terrorism everywhere."
Gantz concluded by saying that "I would like to address the residents of the Western Negev and their worthy leaders. The IDF is deployed to protect you along the border. We will allow each resident and community to choose when to return home, in accordance with the Ministry of Defense's directives, which I and the entire political echelon support. We are responsible for this."
Gantz also commented that he was moving to the south, "Personally, I decided to move to Yad Mordechai, and this will be in the coming weeks. I am sure that there will be many good neighbors and that from this tragedy – we will all be stronger and grow together."
Likud members commented on Gantz’s statement: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for our ultimate victory. Anyone who thinks that bringing Palestinian Authority officials into the Gaza Strip will defeat Hamas is wrong. There is no substitute for our ultimate victory."