Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke today (Monday) with the IDF General Staff Forum chaired by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. Gallant said in the discussion that "this is the forum entrusted with the security of the State of Israel. We are the war generation, the responsibility is on everyone to fulfill their roles to bring about victory." The Defense Minister added, in an apparent reference to the reported assassination of Marwan Issa, Hamas' third-highest-ranked leader Gaza, "There have been successes, including in the last few days and there will be more successes - the action is consistent and going in the right direction. At the same time, we have to take into account that there may be additional challenges before us - the most pressing of which is in the north." He also said, "Five months after the start of the campaign, it is clear that Hamas was wrong in its assessment of the situation as to what the State of Israel knows how to do and what it will be willing to sacrifice. It thought that it would discourage us, that it would divide us, that it would cause the prices to make us lose our nerve, that our friends would leave us - all these things don't happen." "Both our friends and our enemies are looking at what is happening in the State of Israel, and in this aspect, ending the campaign in victory would also be the beginning of pivots to where the country will develop in the strategic directions - the deterrence against our enemies and the support of our friends. Therefore, it is important to finish this also for the future, not only for the present," he said. Related articles: Houthi leader issues ultimatum to Israel over Gaza aid blockade 'I hope there will be a grave to visit on Memorial Day' Chief of Staff calls surprise exercise in Gaza Netanyahu was not aware of US-Hamas talks "The public in Israel also looks to the IDF. If the IDF knows how to work in unity and cooperation under the most difficult conditions - then all the systems, from the political-political system on down, should know how to do this. I have already addressed this issue more than once to my friends. I also apply it to myself, all of us need to learn what unity of purpose, partnership in tasks, and a message of togetherness is from the Israel Defense Forces and the other security forces, and I hope that the political system will take an example from the IDF in this matter," he said.
