Minister of Defense Israel Katz addressed the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva Network and Makor Rishon's National Education Conference on Thursday and declared that “we won in Gaza.”
Regarding the ceasefire deal, he reiterated that if Hamas does not disarm as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan, “we will do it.”
Despite the agreement stipulating that the IDF will withdraw from Gaza, which will later be handed over to the Palestinian Arabs, Katz asserted, “Israel will never leave the territory of Gaza. There will be a security buffer zone inside Gaza to protect the communities.”
He also discussed his decision to close the IDF radio station, Galei Tzahal: "This station supports the enemy, it provides an outlet for Hamas members, and attacks soldiers and the IDF. All of the chiefs of staff have said that the station needs to close and can not remain in the IDF. Today, some of them who have moved on to politics changed their opinion."
He noted that "I don't make a hobby of closing radio stations. All of the chiefs of staff wanted to get rid of the station. You can't privatize it."
Regarding the Qatar Gate scandal, the Defense Minister claimed he had never received a security alert on the matter. "Many things are put on my table, no security official ever brought this to me as some sort of security danger to Israel. That's a sign that it's not as big as it sounds."
Katz also addressed the conscription bill. "I believe that we have an opportunity here; they had a broad consensus on things they had disagreed with in the past. There is also an opportunity to draft 10,000 in the first two years, and within five years, 50% from every cycle. If 50% would serve, the norm will change. This is feasible and necessary."