Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz assumed his role today (Friday) in a ceremony held at the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) headquarters in Tel Aviv. Minister Katz was received by the IDF Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, and the Director General of the IMOD, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir.
Members of the IDF General Staff Forum and the Ministry’s leadership attended the ceremony. During the event, the defense establishment bid farewell to outgoing Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant.
Incoming Defense Minister, Israel Katz said, “Throughout this period, the right decisions were made, and there was no doubt about the IDF's and security forces' ability to execute their mission flawlessly. We must preserve and nurture these remarkable capabilities. This is a unique war on all fronts and sectors, touching every aspect of the State of Israel. I came to bear responsibility with sacred reverence and understanding of its importance. I am confident we will work together with the Prime Minister, the government, and the civilian systems in unity. This is a special moment for me, as someone born on a moshav and as a son of Holocaust survivors who endured humanity's worst horrors, along with many others who immigrated from all corners of the world and transformed their suffering into strength - and with this strength, we grow. It is a special moment for me to be appointed Israel's Defense Minister.
"I look forward to working together with you all. I will be the IDF's shield in various processes and harness all my abilities to enable the IDF to focus on what it needs to do - with full force. I am confident we will achieve victory in this war, whose objectives are to stop Iranian aggression and deny its capabilities, continue dismantling Hamas as a governing and military force, and defeat Hezbollah. As I defined in the Foreign Ministry, the first moral goal is bringing the hostages home. Here, as Defense Minister, I also place the goal of returning the hostages at the top of the IMOD’s moral priorities.
"Yoav, we were friends and will remain friends because we believe in the same things that will secure Israel's security and future, the Jewish state. I promise that the entire State of Israel will emerge from this war and from the pain to much higher places," he said.
Outgoing Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant said, "Security was and remains the foundation of Israel's existence. Without security, there is no economy and no education. But security is not only protection, it's also a bond - protecting our home, families, and lives here. In this war, we experienced the greatest failure and the most important achievements in the state's history. Only a few months separate the sights of October 7th, which will continue to haunt me, all of us, until our last day, from the unprecedented successes recorded by the defense establishment across the Middle East. In Gaza and Tehran, in Hodeidah port, and Beirut's Dahieh. The defense establishment, its commanders, and soldiers - from those in the field to the Chief of General Staff- proved their commitment repeatedly throughout thirteen months of complex warfare. Not as a threat but as a promise: anyone who tries to harm us will pay a hefty price."
"I want to express my great appreciation to the IDF commanders, soldiers, and security forces personnel, both in active duty and in reserve. Thanks to you, the State of Israel is where it is today. I trust you and rely on you to continue protecting Israel's security, ensuring its future, not out of a desire to prove anything, but to fulfill the mission. Remember, this mission is not yet complete; we must meet our moral and traditional obligation, and the war's objective is to bring home the remaining 101 hostages who haven't yet seen their families and homes.
"I conclude this role with great pain over the loss and what remains incomplete - the return of the hostages. But also with a sense of achievement and meaning for what was accomplished here, under my responsibility in the last two years - establishing a new and better strategic reality for the State of Israel. This is not an absolute farewell. I will continue, as I have done all my life, to work for Israel's security and the people of Israel," Gallant said.