Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari December 13th, 20:15

Good evening.

Today there is a heavy feeling of loss. Today it's not just “My Golani”, today Golani is part of us all. Golani continues to fight with determination, and thanks to this determination of Golani and all IDF soldiers, we will achieve the war's goals.

Today, some of the IDF soldiers who fell yesterday during the battles in the terrorist stronghold of Shejaiya were laid to rest.

Yesterday afternoon, a Golani force entered a building in which they exchanged fire with terrorists. The brigade forces, assisted by the 669 Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit of the Air Force, stormed the building to rescue them under heavy fire.

During the operation, the Air Force accompanied the soldiers in the field with more than 20 aircraft, including assault helicopters for medical evacuation, fighter jets, and combat helicopters. There were dozens of Air Force strikes during the operation.

Leading the fighting forces on the ground were the commanders – including Colonel Yitzhak Ben Basat, and the commander of Battalion 13 in the Golani Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Tomer Greenberg, who fell in battle.

The fall of these senior commanders in the Golani Brigade is a painful testament to the fighting spirit of our commanders: always at the forefront of battle, always the first to strike, always first ahead when it comes to rescuing our soldiers.

Our heart is with the families of all the IDF's fallen soldiers at their most difficult time.

We are at a stage when many forces are operating in the Gaza Strip, engaged in battle with the enemy. As we operate widely in the Gaza Strip, there are more encounters with terrorists, and unfortunately, more casualties. These encounters lead to many Hamas terrorists being killed, and many terrorists surrendering, and we see it every day – in Jabalya, in Shejaiya, and also in the Khan Yunis area.

It's important to clarify, given the public discourse – our combat strategy remains consistent.

For every division, every brigade, every soldier operating, the Air Force strikes in all locations necessary for the forces entering the area. In Shejaiya, in the Khan Yunis area, in Jabalya - there is a strong fire envelope – this is how we operated and will continue to operate. The fire envelope is activated as needed for every ground force entry.

So too in the fighting in Shejaiya in recent days, fighter jets and combat helicopters struck many targets including attack tunnels, anti-tank positions, and military structures which were used by Hamas terrorists against our forces.

The ground operation, together with the Air Force’s accompaniment, enables us to thoroughly dismantle the terrorist infrastructures as we are required to do in order to fulfill our mission, which is to allow residents to return home knowing that there is no terror on the other side of the border.

The determination in the fighting is also what will bring about conditions for the return of the hostages.

In the north, air and land forces struck several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon throughout the day. In addition, the forces struck terrorist squads along the border at several points. Since the beginning of the war, we have struck more than 110 terrorist squads, the preparedness of the IDF in the north is very high and will continue to be so.

This evening, the Chief of the General Staff lit the seventh Hanukkah candle with IDF soldiers who were injured in the battles and are being treated at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. We send wishes for a speedy recovery and complete health to all the injured. It was a very moving evening, in which the injured inspired the Chief of the General Staff with their fighting spirit, spoke about their determination to return and fight on the battlefield, and strengthened the fighters who are now battling on the field. We will continue to accompany our wounded.

Their stories of bravery are a point of light that shows the spirit of our fighters – unbreakable, a little of their light, deters much of the darkness.