Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant affirmed that the army "is fighting against evil, and we must win," emphasizing that the war will be long, and they are paying difficult prices to achieve their goals. Gallant attempted to justify the killing of Israeli hostages by the Israeli army yesterday in Shujaiya, stating in a press briefing: "There are booby traps and ambushes there (in Gaza) and the sounds of children's cries to lure soldiers; we must understand the conditions our soldiers are in."
He added: "This incident is one of the difficult tragic events that occurred to me as we were close to victory; the prices we pay every day in Gaza are tough in exchange for the goal of achieving complete victory in this war."
The Israeli minister continued: "I sincerely believe in our path, and we are fighting this most just war against evil and the organization of villains; we must win... there are significant achievements in the military operation, and there is great pressure to eliminate the terrorists and their leaders."
Gallant stated: "There is no force that prevents us from reaching anywhere in the Gaza Strip; our forces can reach inside the tunnels from above and below the ground, and this pressure has enabled us to reach an agreement to return 110 hostages to their families."
He confirmed that "war has costs... it is a difficult time for the fighters in the Gaza Strip, and I encourage them to continue until we achieve decisive victory and dismantle Hamas and return the hostages; this war will be long and ongoing to eliminate those who represent evil."
Gallant emphasized that "Shujaiya is a terrorist neighborhood where we fought before and had difficult battles; we have always faced tough battles there in previous wars."
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel will not repeat the "Oslo mistake" and that the Gaza Strip will not be ruled by extremist groups like "Fatah" and "Hamas," who are arguing over how to destroy Israel.
On the seventy-first day of the war in Gaza, Israeli forces continue their assaults throughout the strip, while the humanitarian situation worsens more and more. The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that the number of fatalities has exceeded 18,800, with more than 51,000 others injured since October 7, while the Israeli army announced an increase in its death toll in battles in Gaza to 450.
