Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant had a clear message on Thursday for Hamas terrorists in the wake of the killing of their leader, Yayha Sinwar: release the hostages, lay down your arms, come out into the open, and surrender.
In a statement, Gallant said (emphasis added):
The State of Israel has brought justice with the elimination of Yahya Sinwar – a vile murderer and terrorist. Yahya Sinwar is the terrorist, the master terrorist, who planned and carried out the October 7th [massacre], during which so many innocent Israelis were murdered – children, women and the elderly.
The elimination of Sinwar joins a long series of eliminations – from Nasrallah to Muhammad Deif and many more [terrorists]. We will pursue and eliminate our enemies.
Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run – he didn’t die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself. This is a clear message to all of our enemies – the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice.
The elimination of Yahya Sinwar sends a clear message to all the families of the fallen and the families of the hostages – we are doing everything in order to get to those who harmed your loved ones and to free the hostages and return them to their families.
It is also a clear message to the residents of Gaza. The man who brought disaster and death to the Gaza strip, the man who made you suffer as a result of his murderous actions – the end of this man has come. It is time to go out, release the hostages, [to those involved in fighting] raise your hands, surrender. Go out with the hostages, free them, and surrender.
It is my privilege to salute the soldiers of the IDF, the Chief of the General Staff and Director of the ISA for their dedicated work.
Sinwar was killed Wednesday in a chance encounter with infantry and armored units in southern Gaza, near Rafah, as he was trying to flee to Egypt. Soldiers were surprised to discover his body; his identity was confirmed on Thursday.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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