Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz toured the Philadelphi Corridor, the narrow strip of land running along the Gaza-Egypt border, on Wednesday, vowing that the Israel Defense Forces will maintain security in the area going forward.
Katz was accompanied by IDF Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, commander of IDF Southern Command, and Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, commander of the Gaza Division.
“I came to visit inside Gaza to meet the commanders and the fighters who are doing an amazing job, showing bravery, resourcefulness and determination, as they see before their eyes the need to create the conditions for the release of the hostages and ensure the security of the State of Israel,” said Katz.
Promising that the era of Hamas attack tunnels is over, Katz said that the IDF will “act anywhere” it deems necessary to prevent emerging terrorist threats.
On Wednesday, the IDF announced that engineering forces of the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade, working together with the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit, had destroyed two 1.2-mile-long attack tunnels in the Strip.
Katz said Israel wouldn’t permit the creation of terrorist infrastructure, the organizing of terrorist groups, or any attempts to harm Israel or its soldiers—not only from Gaza but also Lebanon, Syria and further east.
In Gaza, Israel will create “security spaces, buffer zones and commanding positions” that will ensure the security of nearby Israeli communities across the border, he said.
“There will be no Hamas rule here. There will be no Hamas military here. A different reality will be created here thanks to the fighting that continues every day, even now,” said Katz.
“I met the soldiers as well as reservists, all of them are determined and say: ‘Keep going, let us continue to the end, ensure security and return the hostages.’ And that’s what we will do,” he added.