Herzi Halevi at Shifa Hospital: "We are achieving two things - striking the Hamas leadership and pressuring the negotiations"

The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, conducted a surpise situational assessment at the Shifa Hospital, in the northern Gaza Strip, together with the Commanding Officer of the Southern Command, MG Yaron Finkelman, the Commanding Officer of the 162nd Division, BG Itzik Cohen, the Commanding Officer of Shayetet 13, Capt. A', and other commanders.

"So far, the results are good, but see, we are targeting the leaders. Marwan Issa, the arrest of senior operatives. This is very, very important for pressuring Hamas, it's very important for pressuring the negotiations as well, and we are serving two purposes here. A heavy strike on Hamas, dismantling Hamas, killing Hamas’ military leadership, striking the civil leadership, striking the operatives. And not to allow such a place to be controlled, and we are also putting pressure on the negotiations. We came here to apprehend many operatives, with an emphasis on senior operatives, and to kill those who fight. We prefer prisoners, they are important cards, for interrogations, you understand this, to kill whoever fights. So far, the performance of the mission is very good. The method of operation, I tell you, from the start we've been talking about the element of surprise operations, deception, and here maybe the best example so far of using it. A surprising arrival, to a place that Hamas returned to, turned it into a center of activity, a command and control center, operating from within it, managing from within it an attempt to control the northern Strip. And then truly a surprising arrival in just minutes, good closure, entry of forces. See, entry into combat in a hospital compound, teams, patients, those taking shelter. All these things together, with the firing here about 20 terrorists who were killed on entry. The level of combat and mission performance in the first stage is very very high."