"We did not kill them, [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar killed them. You should have thought about it before you did the expulsion from Gush Katif, before you sold us peace with an olive branch. You voted for the Disengagement, you are to blame. The blood is on Sinwar but you are to blame for it - the lies you sold to the world are part of these things," Minister Eliyahu said in an interview with 103FM.
He emphasized, "We must restore the deterrent power of the IDF, which has been gravely damaged by the entire Disengagement process and even since the Oslo Accords. All this talk of 'peace now' is childish, and we have seen where it has led the country. We promise to make an effort to restore the deterrent power of the IDF, but it will not happen overnight."
"I try to imagine what would happen if we saw demonstrations in Gaza calling for Hamas to surrender - we would be pleased. When we look at the pressure on the Israeli side and how it is perceived by Sinwar, it worries me. The Left applauded the disengagement. I am not [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's defender, he has made many mistakes, and I also demonstrated against him," he emphasized.
Minister Eliyahu said that he supported the view that military control of the Philadelphi Corridor was essential to Israel's security. "The Philadelphi Corridor is critical so that we do not get more and more such terrible incidents. The release of the hostages will be achieved by massive and intensive pressure. All those who are fighting there are not fighting so that tomorrow we will return in surrender. I think we need to increase the pressure and we are pressuring Netanyahu. The last time we got a deal, it was as a result of military pressure. I opposed it because I understood where it would take us, to demonstrations that strengthened Sinwar, that half of our hostages would not return, that we were close to breaking Hamas and not introducing humanitarian aid. That approach should have continued."
"The right move is to apply intense pressure on Hamas, without strengthening it through the demonstrations. We must take over the Gaza Strip, hit them hard, and demand that they pay a heavy price. This means territorial space, that they pay with what hurts them, not us. They are not paying a heavy enough price today. [Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant's policy is not my policy. We are part of the government, but it is clear that the steps must be toughened up and that we should return to the policy that was in place before the first deal," he concluded. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
