Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a press conference at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, as the IDF began withdrawing its troops from the Gaza Strip. The IDF has neutralized many terror tunnels that took years for Hamas to build, Netanyahu said at the start of his address to the nation. The IDF has had many achievements and successes since the beginning of the operation, hitting thousands of targets, including command center, arms factories, and terrorists. This is a complicated mission, in an urban, built-up area, with direct contact with civilian population, he said. I am proud of our soldiers who are doing an extraordinary job. I send my condolences to the grieving families who have sacrificed everything to protect our country. The prime minister directly addressed the family of the missing officer Hadar Goldin, saying he understood the pain and suffering and adding that Israel would do everything in its power to bring back our soldiers. We have nothing against the citizens of Gaza that have nothing to do with terrorism, he said, adding that she was sorry for every civilian death in the Strip. Netanyahu praised the unique ties that have been developed with countries in the region, ties that open up new opportunities for the future; and US President Barack Obamas condemnation of Hamas and support for Israels mission to destroy Hamas tunnels. The world knows who is Hamas, Netanyahu said. The premier singled out Qatar for its support of Hamas and criticized the Palestinian Islamist group for violating cease-fires. He then urged the international community to condemn Hamas as a murderous organization that cruelly endangers its own civilians. The army will continue to operate until the mission is completed - to restore the security and quiet to the citizens of Israel. The IDF will continue its mission according to Israels security needs, and only according to those needs, he concluded. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon praised the impressive work done by IDF soldiers and commanders in the final stages of its campaign to destroy Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. Yaalon expressed condolences to the bereaved families of fallen IDF soldiers. The prime minister, answering questions from journalists, said that Israel is keeping all options open and that the army conducted a very large operation in destroying Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip. The conference comes after the IDF said it would take 24 hours to complete its mission of destroying Hamas terror tunnels. As the army began withdrawing from the Gaza Strip, large numbers of IDF ground units have taken up positions in staging areas within Israel on Saturday. Some ground forces will remain active in three areas across Gaza, as the last of the tunnels are destroyed. Others will remain in Gaza to form a security strip that will protect Israeli villages against attempts by Hamas to exploit gaps in the border fence, to stage further attacks.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 19:14:55 +0000
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