IDF chief: Return of hostages is ‘moral obligation,’ but operations carry high risk

IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi tells soldiers during a visit to Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip that their mission is to bring the hostages home — both those who are alive and the bodies of those who are already dead.

“Bringing the hostages home is a moral obligation that we must strive for,” he says. “Yesterday we implemented one very, very important part. We have many more,” he adds, praising the actions of the IDF, the Shin Bet and the Yamam police force who took part in the rescue of Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan.

Halevi says that when they sat down in the war room at the start of the mission, they did not know if the misson would succeed.

“We know that we are taking huge risks and fateful decisions, and these risks are the risk of human life,” he says. “It’s not a gamble, it’s a calculated risk… and I know that we have very high quality commanders and the confidence to carry out bold operations for worthy goals,” he said.