Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the LOTAR counterterrorism unit at the unit's training facilities in the Adam Base on Friday afternoon.
During the visit, Gallant was shown the unit's activities starting from October 7 during fighting in the Gaza border towns until right now.
They showed him how regular and reserve fighters operate across all sectors, and simultaneously lead training and assimilation efforts while cooperating with the many of the units in the field.
Gallant told the fighters "We will eliminate Hamas, there will be no quick fix. We will ensure that the government in Gaza will not be the government of Hamas and the army in Gaza will not be the army of Hamas.
"Regarding terrorism, we will fight for a long time, it will not take one day, it will take much longer. Therefore, prepare yourselves for this, you have the duty, may I say, the right to fight, the most just war that the people of Israel and the State of Israel can have."
Gallant: Who is the Hague to pass judgment?
Gallant then went after the International Court of Justice in the Hague, accusing them of having no moral standing.
"At this very moment, as we stand here, the Hague Tribunal is trying to pass judgment on something that is the opposite of justice.
"They created the International Court of Justice and gave it the authority to discuss the crime of genocide, because of what happened to the Jews, especially to the Jews of Europe during World War II."
"Sanctomoniusly, they come and sue the State of Israel, which defends itself, for trying to destroy the State - they kill children, rape women, kidnap old people, and for that they take the State of Israel to court."
"Those who sit in their leather armchairs in The Hague, who in some of their countries 80 years ago exterminated Jews. They come today to teach us what justice is and how we should behave?"
"An IDF soldier goes on a mission with the values of the IDF on his heart and in his memory, the spirit of the IDF, which talks about what values are and what true warfare is, and who should be hurt and who should not be hurt."
"A Hamas terrorist, on whom we found notes in their pockets, on each one written 'The blood of the Jews is tastier than the blood of someone else, go and drink it' - that's the message."
Regarding conspiratorial rumours
"Recently, in many places and unfortunately also from members of the public, I heard attacks on IDF officers, on the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), on the Mossad, on others, and the IDF and all the security organizations are parts of the body of the State of Israel."
"The State of Israel is always behind you, and we give you full backing, and I, as the Defense Minister, [along with] the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, the head of the Mossad, all these people give full backing to the IDF. We stand behind everything you do, everyone here is an emissary of ours going to carry out the mission. We stand behind you, we are with you in everything even if you hear, someone say one thing and someone says the other, be sure of the rightness of your way, both as soldiers and as fighters."