Following are PM Netanyahu's remarks, from this morning's Cabinet meeting, about the capture of the Hamas terrorists who murdered the three teens – Gilad Sha'ar, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrach – in June. The terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire when they opened fire on IDF soldiers who came to arrest them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Tuesday, 23 September 2014), made the following remarks at the start of the Cabinet meeting:
"When we found the bodies of Naftali, Gilad and Eyal, I said that whoever perpetrated the kidnapping and murder of our boys would bear the consequences and added that we would not rest until we had reached the last of them wherever they were hiding. I also said that this was our first mission and that it would be carried out. This morning it was carried out.
We said from the outset that Hamas was responsible for the abduction and murder and in light of the proof we have accumulated Hamas admitted that it was behind this terrorist attack.
I would like to commend the outstanding intelligence work of the ISA. I would like to commend the ISA, the Israel Police Anti-Terror Unit and the IDF. On behalf of the people of Israel I salute you for your precise and important operation. We will continue strike at terrorism everywhere. A few days after the attack I said near Hebron, the city of the patriarchs, that we would pursue the enemy, find them and not return until they had been dealt with. This morning the long arm of Israeli justice did just this."
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he had spoken earlier this morning with the parents of the three youths and continued, "With the advent of the New Year, nothing can assuage their pain and nothing can bring back their wonderful, dear boys. But I told them that justice has been done and that we had carried out the mission that we promised to them and all of Israel."