Defense Minister Katz:
“6,000 terrorists crossed the border into Israel on Simchat Torah and carried out the atrocities. Of those, 4,000 have been eliminated so far, and another 2,000 remain.
The directive from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and me to the IDF and all security agencies is sharp and clear: beyond the paramount objective of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza, pursue and eliminate them all, without restriction and under all circumstances, from the most senior to the most junior.
This is the command of those who were murdered and those who fell, and it is our duty as a people and as a state—and we will fulfill it.”