Education Minister Yoav Kisch visited Sheba Hospital on Wednesday as part of the National Day of Appreciation for Those Wounded in Israel's Wars and in Terrorist Attacks.
During the visit, Minister Kisch spoke with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News and praised the appreciation initiative, which began with Bnei Akiva and became a government decision.
"This is an initiative that grew from grassroots efforts, activities of young people that turned into a government resolution. Today, we are dedicating significant resources to strengthening the wounded," said Kisch. "Thousands of teenagers are involved in many projects, and I think this is a very important message. We stand with the wounded—we strengthen and support them."
"This is not my first visit here. Unfortunately, I’ve also been to funerals and offered condolences. We have a generation of fighters—true heroes, strong and determined, who understand very well why the State of Israel is fighting," he added.
The minister also commented on the security situation and the strategic changes taking place at Israel's borders.
"The State of Israel is now making a strategic shift across the region, ensuring security and peace for generations to come. The price paid by the wounded and the bereaved families is not in vain. It is painful and difficult—sometimes unbearably so—but it is for the purpose of creating generations of peace and security," Kisch said.
He also spoke about the goals of the operation in Gaza. "We have two goals in Gaza: first, to bring all the hostages back—those alive for rehabilitation and the dead for burial. The second goal is to eliminate Hamas’ presence and ensure that no regime in Gaza will act against Israel or rearm itself against the State of Israel."
Kisch declared that Israel would need to maintain control over Gaza in a manner similar to its governance in Judea and Samaria. Another major challenge, in his opinion, is Iran.
"Our second challenge is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. I believe Trump’s election can assist us in this effort. Over the next two years, and I say two years because I believe this government will serve its full term, Israel's mission should be to change the reality in Iran and ensure that there is no nuclear threat from Iran against the State of Israel."
On the situation in Syria, Kisch remarked that the fall of the Syrian regime occurred "because we weakened Hezbollah and Iran, which created an opportunity that the rebels seized. It’s not only Israel that contributed to this development, but without a doubt, without our stance and the crushing of Hezbollah and the fight against Iran, we wouldn’t have achieved this change in Syria’s reality. The change in Syria is very significant in achieving the goal of preventing an Iranian nuclear threat."
Kisch declared that Israel would continue operating in Syria without a time limit. "We will remain in Syria as long as necessary—there is no time limit. As long as Israeli interests and security require it. We’ve seen what they intended to do in the north, and we saw what happened on October 7—those armed trucks entering to carry out massacres. This is a real and strategic threat to all our borders. We won’t allow it in Gaza, we won’t allow it in Lebanon, and we won’t allow it in Syria."
Watch the Hebrew interview with Minister Kisch:
