A top IDF commander, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself all told IDF troops yesterday that they will soon be inside Gaza. They all promised that the campaign will be a long and difficult one. The head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, said the expected ground offensive in the Gaza Strip will be “long and intense.”
“This war was forced on us, with a cruel enemy that harmed us greatly. But we stopped them … we are striking them heavily,” Finkelman said to troops near the Gaza border. “Now, the maneuver is going to move the fighting to their territory. We are going to beat them in their territory,” he said. “It’s going to be difficult, long and intense.”
