'The war will continue until the end, until we finish it,' Netanyahu tells IDF soldiers in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited IDF soldiers on Monday in the northern Gaza Strip.
On Nov. 26, Netanyahu made his first unprecedented visit with soldiers inside Gaza when he received security briefings and toured one of the terror tunnels.
The prime minister also received a security briefing from the commander of the 261st Brigade, Col. Yehuda Wach, the deputy commander of the 162nd Division and the deputy commander of the 261st Brigade about their operational activity in the northern Gaza Strip.
Part of the assessment included information about the many tunnel shafts that had been found in the heart of a civilian area.
Netanyahu spoke with the soldiers and listened to their experiences in battle and their determination to continue fighting until the operational goals are achieved: Returning all the hostages, eliminating Hamas and restoring Israel's security on its southern border with Gaza.
"I am here with you in the northern Gaza Strip and I am extraordinarily impressed. Previously, I told your commanders, and you, as reservists, as soldiers – we are proud of you and rely on you. We see the determination and the desire to continue on until the end," Netanyahu to the soldiers.
He continued: "Then I have two things to tell you: First, we will do everything to maintain your safety and your lives. While we want to pursue the mission, we want to safeguard you even more. That is the first – and most important – thing."
"Second, we are not stopping. Whoever talks about stopping – there is no such thing. We are not stopping. The war will continue until the end, until we finish it, no less."
"I know that you left your families and that your families support you. That is amazing. That is the power – the key to victory," Netanyahu said.
One soldier told the premier: "We left two of our friends here."
"I know. Not a few, and dear friends. For this, we are continuing. The testament is to continue," Netanyahu responded.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
