Defense Minister Gallant to the Yahalom fighters: "Hamas is collapsing into the tunnels it dug for itself - the places that were the safest have become a trap, in the last two days over 100 terrorists who came out of the tunnels were arrested or turned themselves in"

The Minister of Defense received a review from Chief Engineering Officer Lt. Col. Yoav Turkansky and the commander of the unit Lt. Col. A. on the unit's activities in the war, to locate and destroy terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.

Minister Gallant toured the unit's training facilities and observed the exploration and destruction capabilities of the underground complexes. The Minister of Defense expressed his appreciation to the soldiers of the regular and reserve unit for their activities in all combat centers.

The Minister of Defense told the soldiers of the unit at the end of the visit:

"There is no place I go to in Gaza - Gaza, the central camps, Khan Yunis, everywhere I go, I meet the troops - and they don't talk to me about Yahalom. The commanders of the battalions, the brigades, the divisions, and this comes as a result of your presence everywhere at the tip of the spear.'

"Unfortunately, this operation has costs and the unit paid a heavy price. On the other hand, we see the results clearly - Hamas dug tunnels to use them against us with all kinds of methods - in practice Hamas is collapsing into its own tunnels that it dug with great effort. Every place he thought would be a trap for IDF soldiers becomes an area where we beat him, in many different ways.'

"They have hundreds of dead people who were injured underground as a result of your activities and those of your friends. And in only the last day and a half - we have over 100 prisoners who are coming up, some of them underground, in the Khan Yunis area and in other places - because they realize that they can't fight against the IDF. It's thanks to you and your friends."

"This is an expression of our systemic and strategic need. We have not forgotten what happened on the seventh of October, whoever killed our children and raped our women and kidnapped our elders, we will go and take his head off, for everyone. 

We will continue, until the end where they all are beaten, every Hamas terrorist is eliminated, whoever surrenders is taken away and we continue, we will not be able to hit everyone, but we will reach a point where we dismantle this organization, it will not control Gaza, it will not have a military force.'

"It's a battle of determination and perseverance, it's neither a day nor a week, but at the end the result will be very clear. 

Hamas has no reserves, it has nowhere to get weapons or ammunition, it does not know how to treat its wounded properly, it does not know how to conduct investigations, it is on the run. 

The only thing that can help him, according to how they see it, is that we don't go for his leadership, that's the only thing. A Hamas force or a Hamas battalion meets in the IDF - the result is clear, those who do not understand what the result can visit Shatti, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanun, Jabaliya, all the places you have been, and they will understand. 

Even in Khan Yunis, in West Khan Yunis, people come out in very long lines and surrender now in West Khan Yunis, thousands."