‘Hamas will be wiped from the earth' – war cabinet addresses the country for first time

The newly-formed war cabinet appeared together for the first time on Wednesday evening and each, in turn, addressed the Israeli public.

The cabinet will be made up of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as former Defense Minister Benny Gantz. In addition, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot (National Unity party) will sit in the cabinet as observers.

Netanyahu began by describing the brutal massacre Hamas terrorists committed against civilians in the Israeli settlements around the Gaza Strip, before vowing, “Every Hamas member is a dead man.”

Praising the acts of heroism by civilians and soldiers in the face of the attack, Netanyahu emphasized that now, Israel is “fighting with full force, on every front; we have gone onto the attack.”

“The Jewish nation is unified, and today its leadership is also unified,” Netanyahu emphasized. “We put aside every other consideration because the fate of our nation is at stake. We’ll work together, shoulder to shoulder, on behalf of the citizens of Israel, for the State of Israel.”

“We will wipe out this thing called Hamas,” Defense Minister Gallant vowed during his speech.

“Hamas – the Islamic State of Gaza – will be wiped from the face of the earth. It will not continue to exist. There will be no situation in which Israeli children are murdered and we all go about our business.”

Gallant also graphically described the Hamas onslaught, calling it “the worst terror attack the world has ever seen.”

National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz, who has served as IDF chief of staff, joined the government together on Wednesday and said he and his party are ready to cooperate with their former political rivals.

“Our partnership is not a political partnership, it is a partnership of destiny,” Gantz said.

Gantz also sent a threatening message to Hezbollah: “Our power is already felt in Gaza and if necessary it will be felt in Lebanon as well and the whole world will see it. The destiny of our enemy is blood and fire and smoke.”

Regarding an ongoing discussion in Israeli society about how much criticism should be directed at the government and the security system for its failures during the time of war, Gantz gave a clear answer.

“This is not the time for hard questions but for overwhelming answers on the battlefield. The government and the security forces also have broad support from the opposition parties, which I hope will join us in the coming days.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party did not join the government, but the members of the war cabinet have preserved a seat should Lapid decide to eventually join.