“On this difficult evening, the entire nation of Israel shares in the pain and grieves the loss endured by the families of the late Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz- [the families] who lost their loved ones yesterday under very difficult circumstances- very tragic and painful circumstances.
During the Sabbath I spoke with members of all three families – I spoke with the fathers, with some of the mothers and with some of the brothers [of the hostages]. I heard their pain – these were charged, painful conversations. They were difficult first and foremost for the families, but also difficult for me, personally.
As Minister of Defense, I bear responsibility for everything that takes place in the defense establishment, for everything that takes place during this war – both for the achievements and the prices [we pay], and for the grave mistakes [that are made]. This was also the case during yesterday’s event – an incident that IDF troops did not intend to conduct, yet one that took place as a result of significant errors.
Over the past hours, the IDF completed its preliminary investigation [of yesterday’s incident], and the conclusions of the investigation were sent to commanders, who will pass them on to their soldiers. I hope to see the [lessons] implemented as soon as possible.
The neighborhood of Shejaiya is a source of terror. An attack was launched against us from Shejaiya on October 7th as well, but also on various other occasions. IDF troops fought fierce battles in this neighborhood over the years. This time, they face terror in alleys and in homes. Dolls are placed with booby traps or used to ambush our troops. Sometimes tapes are played with the sounds of an infant crying, in order to [lure] soldiers into apartments and then detonate explosives. These are events that have taken place and that continue to take place – you must understand the circumstances and the environment in which our soldiers are operating.
Throughout my military service, I have lost commanders, fellow troops, and soldiers under my command. I have seen very difficult circumstances and very difficult events. Some of them are very personal- friends have fallen in battle, and in some cases I have experienced loss as a senior commander. This event is one of the most tragic and difficult events I can remember, because we were so close to succeeding and creating different circumstances. The soldiers did not know the circumstances – it is a difficult event that we are experiencing, and what has been done cannot be undone.
The price of war is a heavy one - we pay it every day, but when you know your goals, when you know that you are fighting for a worthy cause, you know that you have to pay a price. And we are willing to keep going until we achieve our goals: destroying the Hamas [terrorist] organization, eliminating its military and governing capabilities and returning the hostages home to their families.
I believe that our ways are just – I know that we are fighting the most just war any nation could fight against an evil organization, against those who murdered our children, raped our women and kidnapped our elders. We must fight and we must win.
In the ground operations conducted in Gaza, we have made many important achievements, chief among them the great pressure applied [on Hamas], the elimination of thousands of terrorists, the destruction of [terrorist] headquarters, warehouses, command and control centers, tunnels – infrastructure both underground and above the ground. The pressure applied on Hamas created the conditions to return 110 hostages back to their homeland. Hamas only responds to force – if we had stayed back, nothing would have happened, we would have waited to this day, two months into the war, and not one of the hostages would have returned. The pressure has two purposes, but unfortunately there are also prices. Our forces fight every day – above and under the ground. They have taken impressive actions and made great achievements, while risking their lives. We must stand by them, supporting them – not only those fighting in the Gaza Strip, but also on our northern border and in the center, where our troops do ‘holy’ work.
I know that this is a difficult time for all of us – it is also a difficult time for the thousands of combat troops across the Gaza strip. I would like to commend them, strengthen them – we cherish their courage and action, and encourage them to continue until we achieve complete victory. Until we dismantle Hamas and return the hostages.
This will be a long war – this is a war of national resilience. We will overcome our enemy [Hamas] because we represent justice, we represent the truth, we represent good in the face of evil. We will win this war.
What has been proven so far and will be demonstrated in the future as well, is that when the IDF operates, and the people of Israel are united – there is no force that can stop us. With G-d’s help, we will win.”
“On this difficult evening, the entire nation of Israel shares in the pain and grieves the loss endured by the families of the late Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka and Alon Shamriz- [the families] who lost their loved ones yesterday under very difficult circumstances- very tragic and painful circumstances.
During the Sabbath I spoke with members of all three families – I spoke with the fathers, with some of the mothers and with some of the brothers [of the hostages]. I heard their pain – these were charged, painful conversations. They were difficult first and foremost for the families, but also difficult for me, personally.
As Minister of Defense, I bear responsibility for everything that takes place in the defense establishment, for everything that takes place during this war – both for the achievements and the prices [we pay], and for the grave mistakes [that are made]. This was also the case during yesterday’s event – an incident that IDF troops did not intend to conduct, yet one that took place as a result of significant errors.
Over the past hours, the IDF completed its preliminary investigation [of yesterday’s incident], and the conclusions of the investigation were sent to commanders, who will pass them on to their soldiers. I hope to see the [lessons] implemented as soon as possible.
The neighborhood of Shejaiya is a source of terror. An attack was launched against us from Shejaiya on October 7th as well, but also on various other occasions. IDF troops fought fierce battles in this neighborhood over the years. This time, they face terror in alleys and in homes. Dolls are placed with booby traps or used to ambush our troops. Sometimes tapes are played with the sounds of an infant crying, in order to [lure] soldiers into apartments and then detonate explosives. These are events that have taken place and that continue to take place – you must understand the circumstances and the environment in which our soldiers are operating.
Throughout my military service, I have lost commanders, fellow troops, and soldiers under my command. I have seen very difficult circumstances and very difficult events. Some of them are very personal- friends have fallen in battle, and in some cases I have experienced loss as a senior commander. This event is one of the most tragic and difficult events I can remember, because we were so close to succeeding and creating different circumstances. The soldiers did not know the circumstances – it is a difficult event that we are experiencing, and what has been done cannot be undone.
The price of war is a heavy one - we pay it every day, but when you know your goals, when you know that you are fighting for a worthy cause, you know that you have to pay a price. And we are willing to keep going until we achieve our goals: destroying the Hamas [terrorist] organization, eliminating its military and governing capabilities and returning the hostages home to their families.
I believe that our ways are just – I know that we are fighting the most just war any nation could fight against an evil organization, against those who murdered our children, raped our women and kidnapped our elders. We must fight and we must win.
In the ground operations conducted in Gaza, we have made many important achievements, chief among them the great pressure applied [on Hamas], the elimination of thousands of terrorists, the destruction of [terrorist] headquarters, warehouses, command and control centers, tunnels – infrastructure both underground and above the ground. The pressure applied on Hamas created the conditions to return 110 hostages back to their homeland. Hamas only responds to force – if we had stayed back, nothing would have happened, we would have waited to this day, two months into the war, and not one of the hostages would have returned. The pressure has two purposes, but unfortunately there are also prices. Our forces fight every day – above and under the ground. They have taken impressive actions and made great achievements, while risking their lives. We must stand by them, supporting them – not only those fighting in the Gaza Strip, but also on our northern border and in the center, where our troops do ‘holy’ work.
I know that this is a difficult time for all of us – it is also a difficult time for the thousands of combat troops across the Gaza strip. I would like to commend them, strengthen them – we cherish their courage and action, and encourage them to continue until we achieve complete victory. Until we dismantle Hamas and return the hostages.
This will be a long war – this is a war of national resilience. We will overcome our enemy [Hamas] because we represent justice, we represent the truth, we represent good in the face of evil. We will win this war.
What has been proven so far and will be demonstrated in the future as well, is that when the IDF operates, and the people of Israel are united – there is no force that can stop us. With G-d’s help, we will win.”
