IDF chief: It started badly for us, it will end badly for them

The chief of the Israel Defense Forces tells troops near the border with the Gaza Strip that the army is finding its footing after being challenged by Hamas’s surprise attack, even as mop-up operations against terrorists inside Israel are continuing.

“After a rough start, we are shaping the line of engagement. We hit a lot of terrorists — whoever gets close, they are killed,” IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said during the meeting earlier Monday, the military says.

“We will finish purging the area, so that we do not have terrorists here, and, at the same time, we are already on the offensive,” he says.

“We have many more tasks. We need to be strong. It started badly, and will end very badly on the other side,” he adds.