GOC SC Halevi: 'Hamas is deterred'
Speaking at the change of command ceremony in the Gaza Division, GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi adds terror organization is still 'looking for ways to harm Israel'; Hamas official: 'Palestinians should make as many sacrifices as needed in order to achieve their national demands and aspirations.'
Speaking at the change of command ceremony in the Gaza Division, Halevi added that "the gates of Gaza are heavy. We're in a complex time... patience and ploys are required."
Concluding his time in the role, outgoing Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs said the "underground fighting was the most challenging task I've encountered in my life," promising that the underground obstacle being built along the border "will significantly improve the security of the area's residents."
Fuchs went on to say that "Most of the resources that go into Gaza are diverted to digging tunnels and producing rockets."
"In the Gaza Strip there is an enemy who digs in the ground and curses the earth in which orchards can bloom. When the need arises, this enemy will meet those who seek life in the form of IDF fighters."
Incoming commander Brig. Gen. Eliezer Toledano vowed that "there is no one who can stop us from continuing to build our national home."
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Halevi met with the local authorities' heads of the Gaza border communities, as tensions rise along the Gaza border.
"Our policy is to restore the status quo prevailing before March 30 (when the Hamas-led "Marc of Return" campaign was launched in Gaza-ed).
"We definitely see that Hamas is attempting to preserve the calm—there was a decrease in the intensity of the Gaza border riots and the launching of incendiary balloons," he elaborated.
"Humanitarian aid will help to reduce violence, since Gaza's residents will have something to lose," he concluded.
In addition, today—for the second time within a week and the fourth time within two weeks—a delegation of Egyptian intelligence senior officials headed by Ahmed Abdel Khalek, who holds the Palestinian portfolio, entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing to meet with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in order to promote the ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Hamas official Husam Badran said that "Qatar is investing great efforts to ease the siege imposed on Gaza.
"Qatar, the UN and Egypt are tirelessly working to restore calm in Gaza. In addition, Hamas is holding intra-Palestinian talks with other Palestinian factions. The goal is to end the siege and the long-lasting suffering of the Palestinian people," he explained.
"Gaza's residents live under intolerable conditions and are experiencing hardships which increase every day amid the Israeli blockade as well as the sanctions imposed by the Palestinian Authority on the strip," Badran went on to say.
"If the pressure on Gaza continues, it would lead to a flare-up that will harm all parties involved. The Palestinian nation does not wish for war. However, the resistance has many abilities that cause Israel much concern, prompting it to think long and hard before it carries out a new foolish operation," the Hamas official exclaimed.
"The strip's residents should continue with the "March of Return" campaign, and make as many sacrifices as needed in order to achieve their national demands and aspirations," he concluded.
