Ultimatum to enemies and friends that Israel will not stop fighting Hamas in Gaza until at least 239 prisoners are returned held in the Strip, Defense Minister Yoav Galland sent on Thursday.

He pointed out the dozens of children kidnapped and held by “animals”, vowing that “we will not stop fighting until we get them back. What father stops looking for his children? I see them as my children.”

Gallad claimed that Hamas members hiding in tunnels under Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital are listening to IDF operations in the area, sensing that it is approaching, “and they tremble with fear.”

He recognized the challenge of safely addressing the issue of the need to “enter the tunnels or destroy without harming hostages that may be there,” saying the military is developing new methods and working on solutions, adding that this “will improve in the coming days.”

He vowed once again that Israel would find all the Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7 massacres in southern Israel, saying it could last a month, a year or even years if necessary.

Regarding the northern front, Gallad stated that Hezbollah “also tried to hurt us, receiving blow after blow.’ He also warned that Air Force pilots are ready and waiting for orders, with “the gaze to the north”.

Calling the war “the most justified that Israel has ever waged” in its 75 years of independence, he said it was a fight “against evil, against those who wanted to publicly display the (October 7) killings to drive us out of our land”. He said he spoke with Israeli soldiers, who told him they would do “everything” to achieve victory.

He also underlined that Israel it will rebuild and restore communities near Gaza that were deserted on October 7 and evacuated days later. “We will rebuild the communities, we will sow the fields and we will return to life – to the routine of life in those areas ravaged by the massacres of Hamas,” he promised.

“First, we want all Palestinians (civilians) to leave Gaza City. This is important to have freedom of action (against Hamas). We don’t want to hurt them. Those who do not head south are putting themselves at risk. We have methods… to make sure that those who leave are the ones who are supposed to leave and that we will take all the rest into our hands.”