Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday, 29 January 2023):

"I have just come from the Shaare Zedek and Hadassah-Mt. Scopus hospitals, where I visited the wounded from the two terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. We all wish them a speedy and complete recovery and stand with the medical teams that are treating them with boundless dedication.

Last night, the Security Cabinet approved a series of steps in the fight against terrorism. On the one hand, we will step up the deployment and activity of the security forces, on the other we will exact a price from those who carry out terrorist attacks and their supporters. This morning we sealed the home of the terrorist who carried out the reprehensible attack in Jerusalem; his home will be demolished. We decided to revoke the national insurance rights of families that support terrorism.

Today, the Government will discuss two additional steps: Revoking Israeli identity cards and residency of families of terrorists that support terrorism. We will also expand and expedite the issuing of weapons permits to thousands of Israeli civilians, including those in the rescue services.

For example, ZAKA has 3,000 mobile volunteers throughout the country. Only a small percentage of them are armed. Imagine if they and others were armed. Of course, this would significantly increase the response capability because as we have seen, time and again, including yesterday in the City of David, that heroic, armed and trained civilians save lives.

Also, we will decide soon on steps to strengthen settlement in Judea and Samaria in order to make it clear to the terrorists who seek to uproot us from our land that we are here to stay. I have also instructed the Director of the National Security Council to evaluate additional steps that came up before the Security Cabinet and which will be presented to the public later on.

While we are not seeking escalation, we are prepared for any possibility. Our answer to terrorism is an iron fist and a powerful, swift and precise response.

I would like to commend, again, the police officers who sought to engage and who eliminated the terrorist in Neve Yaakov. I would like to commend Lt. N, of the IDF Paratroop Brigade, who was in the City of David on leave and who, together with his father, showed resourcefulness and heroism in engaging and neutralizing the terrorist. I would like to commend all of the security forces, which are in action around the clock in the fight against terrorism.

The terrorists seek to slaughter us indiscriminately; therefore, we must all unite as one in the relentless fight against them. We will defeat them."