Asked by NBC News why the IDF wanted journalists to watch the disturbing scenes now, Edelstein said he wanted the world to understand the “evil” Hamas brought upon communities in southern Israel — and why Israel would do “whatever is needed to bring back the sense of security.”
Edelstein acknowledged, however, that Israelis' trust in their security has been shaken in part by what he said were the IDF’s own failures.
"I think we failed to protect our civilians," he said when NBC News asked him to address why it sometimes took IDF soldiers many hours to reach areas that were targeted in the attack — and whether it was possible any civilians might have been caught in the crossfire during the response. It's possible, he said, that "mistakes" were made.
Hamas' ambush, Edelstein said, was a "very, very complicated attack." He said soldiers had raced from their homes to respond to the assault, some before being asked. “All of us ran to our uniforms. If you had a rifle or a pistol, you took it and you ran and we start fighting,” he said.
“Should we have any mistakes? Probably we did,” he said. “But this is not the issue. It took us time to ... to stop this violent act.”
Edelstein admitted that it took the IDF "over one day, I mean, after 36 hours or so,” to reach some areas infiltrated by Hamas. He said the reasons for failures in the military's response were under investigation.
'Not looking for revenge'
Now, as Israel looks to launch a possible ground invasion and the death toll in Gaza continues to mount, Edelstein said, "we're not looking for revenge."
He made the comment when NBC News asked him what he would say to those who allege that Israel’s bombardment of Gaza is more about vengeance than a coherent plan. Noting that both his children are soldiers, one on active duty and the other on reserve duty, he said his family members exchange “no words about revenge.”
"We have to bring back the sense of security and the security for our people," he said. "We cannot trust anymore the Hamas leadership, because they were the ones who ... executed everything." Edelstein said Israel also knows specifically "who is involved" in the attack, saying, "We captured dozens of terrorists, and they gave the names, too."
He said Israel would continue to seek to free the more than 200 people taken hostage and to eliminate Hamas, which he said he believed could pose a threat to "other places," too.
"I think that you'll agree with me," he said: "If you are standing for humanity, you must stand with us."
Paul Goldman contributed.
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