Israel is determined to press on with its offensive against Hamas in Gaza until rocket fire and tunnels into Israel no longer pose a threat, an IDF spokesperson said.
In a live, online press conference and security briefing for international media July 22, Lt.-Col. Peter Lerner addressed the IDF’s objectives, its progress in dismantling terrorist infrastructure, its process for warning Palestinian civilians, the status of a missing Israeli soldier and where the IDF stands on foreign media coverage.
Speaking from the Government Press Office in Jerusalem, Lerner fielded questions from journalists from around the globe – most of whom represent Jewish publications – both in person and via social media.
Lerner stressed that the IDF is intent on fulfilling its mission of “taking out as many tunnels [dug between the Gaza Strip and Israel] as possible,” describing them as “a system of networks that are like veins and arteries… there are offshoots and offshoots.”
He said the military is laying explosives to decommission the tunnels and ensure they no longer pose a threat to Israel, “to make it so that [Hamas] would have to invest tons of work and resources to try to use or build them again.”
Further, he said the IDF is determined to “reduce [the rockets fired into Israel] to a bare minimum” and to “restore security to the State of Israel.”
As far as progress is concerned, Lerner said that, as of day 15 of Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, the IDF had succeeded in destroying some 23 tunnels, exposing more than 60 access points to them, as well as reducing Hamas’ rocket capabilities by roughly 30 per cent.
Regarding how much longer the operation will take, Lerner said: “We are an enforcement body of the government. They will tell us when to stop. We have to do our best as quickly as possibly to implement our goals.”
He acknowledged the human tragedy in Gaza, but emphasized that Israel does not deliberately target civilians.
He said the IDF forewarns Palestinian civilians of military strikes by dropping leaflets informing people to evacuate a specific area, making phone calls or sending text messages.
It might also send a non-explosive warning that “causes a big bang,” then wait for “visual confirmation” that people have left a given structure, he said.
Asked how he could explain, then, the heavy civilian casualties in Gaza, Lerner said, “Hamas has refined its capabilities and is using the civilians’ fear to exploit the civilian arena… for example, intentionally positioning command and control within civilian buildings… all to exacerbate the civilian impact.”
He said the IDF’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties sometimes means putting its own forces at risk.
Regarding the unaccounted for Israeli soldier that Hamas claims to have kidnapped, Lerner said he is believed to have been one of seven troops killed when Hamas bombed their vehicle July 20, but extensive forensic examination is still being conducted.
“We hope to make a final statement when we’ve completed the examination… we still don’t have a clear answer.”
Asked whether the IDF is concerned about the possibility of Hezbollah opening up another front in the north of Israel, Lerner replied: “We’re watching what’s happening on the fronts with Lebanon and Syria – indeed, there are developments that make us tense, and we have to be prepared. We’ve seen a few incidents of rockets coming over, but not from Hezbollah, mostly from Palestinian factions.”
Lastly, in response to a question of whether he believes foreign news media have fairly presented IDF operations, Lerner was diplomatic.
“My experience working with media in the region is they’re very professional… they’re just doing their job, figuring out the most important aspects of the story… Is it fair? What is fair media? At the end of the day, people need to consume news and gather their own opinions based on what they see.”