Hamas leaders did not initially take the IDF's war in Gaza seriously, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Sunday night.

"They didn’t take it seriously, even when we first went in," Gallant was quoted by the WSJ as saying. 

Gallant said Israel is fighting an Iranian-led axis, rather than just Hamas, warning that the IDF's war in Gaza "will last for a longer time.

"My basic view: We are fighting an axis, not a single enemy," Gallant told the WSJ. "Iran is building up military power around Israel in order to use it."

Gallant: World needs to understand - October 7 is different

In his interview, Gallant explained to WSJ that the scale of Hamas's October 7 massacre, "the bloodiest day for Jewish people since 1945....is different.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits Israeli troops near the Gaza border on January 4, 2024 (credit: ARIEL HERMONI/DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visits Israeli troops near the Gaza border on January 4, 2024 (credit: ARIEL HERMONI/DEFENSE MINISTRY)
"The world needs to understand. This is different," the defense minister was quoted as saying. "Should Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran be allowed to decide how we live our lives here in Israel? This is something we don’t accept."
Israeli forces struck some 30 'significant' terror targets across Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis, the IDF said Monday morning as it continued its war on Hamas in the Strip.