IDF spokesman Brigadier General Efi Defrin delivered a statement to the press addressing the tragedy in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza Strip, where five soldiers from the Netzach Yehuda Battalion fell. According to him, "the safety of our soldiers is our top priority." Defrin also responded to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's claim that "the IDF is not fulfilling its mission in Gaza" saying he "wants to respond to the issue itself and not to any specific individual" and that "the IDF is fulfilling its mission - anyone who doesn't think so is invited to meet the soldiers in the Gaza Strip." Defrin also stated that "the IDF currently holds 65% of the Strip's territory."