Gantz said that the return of Avera Mengistu and the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul would be carried out in the future after not including them in the ceasefire conditions.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: MAY 21, 2021 23:30Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu address a press conference alongside Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi on Operation Guardian of the Walls, May 21, 2021(photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)
Operation Guardian of the Wall was a success and achieved what it set out to do, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Friday evening in an interview with N12.In the N12 Ulpan Shishi segment, the Blue and White chairman summarized the successes and failures of the military operation and discussed future steps, with regard to both military operations and political decisions."We have achieved all the military goals we set for ourselves - severe damage to Hamas, its operatives, its infrastructure and everything related to its offensive capability," said Gantz. "Apart from the rockets that hit the Israeli home front, which were met by Iron Dome and civil defenses, Hamas has not been able to do anything effective, while we have achieved all our goals."When asked about the failed attempt to assassinate Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, Gantz said that this was not the last time Israeli forces would attempt to reach him, and that they would eventually succeed in doing so.He added that "the next round of fighting may be very far from now, or very close, it depends on how Hamas behaves," and said that Hamas will always claim that they hold the victory over Israel no matter the actual version of the events.The Defense Minister declined to consider the idea that the military operation was being used by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for personal political purposes, saying he wouldn't have let that happen. He also addressed rumors from earlier in the week that he was in conversation with the prime minister in order to sign another coalition deal. "I have no interest in going down that route again," he said before reiterating his support for his former political partner and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid.He was also questioned on the decision not to demand the return of Avera Mengistu and the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, all of whom are currently being held in Gaza. Many had expected this to be part of the conditions for a ceasefire, and the oversight, whether intentional or not, has drawn strong criticism.Gantz said that ,although they were not returned at this time, "the return of the dead and missing is at the very heart of our considerations, and will carry through to our future plans."
