At the opening of his announcement, Gantz said that, “In times of war, it is forbidden to enable any evasion from civil responsibilities and act insensitively towards the families of the hostages. It was a correct move to cancel the Knesset’s break.”
“Violence is not acceptable, and the police must also show restraint,” added Gantz.
Gantz then spoke to the families of the hostages, saying that, “I commiserate the fact that we have not yet been able to bring them home. I am ashamed to hear how some sectors of the public and its elected officials are behaving towards them. Netanyahu should address this and make sure that they are treated similarly. They deserve to know that the society is not against them, but supporting them.”
"If there is an opportunity to return hostages, we will not let it pass. We will not sit in a government that does not do all it can to return the hostages," Gantz added.
"Besides the urgent need to return the hostages, the security situation in the north needs to be addressed. We will fight Hamas for years to come. The IDF is hurting Hezbollah, and we must complete this task with the goal of bringing the residents back to their homes this summer," he added.
At the end of the statement, he said: "In order for us to maintain unity, the public must know that we will soon come and ask for their trust. Let us not ignore October 7th. For this reason we must agree on an election date around September. I discussed such a date with political leaders. Elections will prevent a split in the nation, because soon we will renew the trust between the people and their leaders."