Galant: Beware of complacency
Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry
Galant: Pressure on Hamas is huge
GOC Southern Command tells community heads IDF has gained great achievements in Gaza
GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant arrived in Ashkelon on Thursday evening in order to brief the leaders of the Gaza vicinity communities on the military operation in Gaza.
"The pressure we've exerted over Hamas
is huge," he said.
"If the prime minister or defense minister says we will respond when and where we see fit, this sentence will have actual validity from now on. In the future, the Palestinians will not be able to ignore this," Galant added.
Achievements
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"In the past every Hamas leader would build a three-story house, making the basement a weapons warehouse, the middle story his headquarters, and the top story a living area for the family after realizing over the years that the IDF would not strike the building because of the family," the commander of the military offensive said.
"Once we changed this concept by calling the family and firing a solitary bomb, destroying the building, the leaders remained troubled by the loss of his headquarters as well as a home for his family."
Regarding the coordination between forces Galant said, "In this battle the battalion, brigade, and division commanders are on the field, not sitting in offices. They are physically with the soldiers." He said this factor, coupled with coordination with intelligence sources, brought about precise achievements.
The commander added that despite talk of a ceasefire, Israelis should beware of complacency. "Hamas still has many missiles and rockets, and though their capabilities have been harmed, they are still able to fire barrages and hurt civilians."
The community leaders told Galant the home front was willing to sustain fire so long as the operation proceeded. Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin said he recognized complacency in his city.
"I walked around the city today and saw people sitting in coffee shops and strolling on the boardwalk. It's very dangerous. We saw what happened in Beersheba today and I plan to warn residents against this kind of complacency," he said.
