A Washington Post opinion article claims Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said, “Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant: “Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.” pic.twitter.com/aI6Y0o1YuP

— Hammam Farah (@hammam_therapy) October 13, 2023

Verdict: Misleading

The full quote has been omitted. In the full quote, Gallant talks about destroying Hamas.

Fact Check:

Gallant told a group of North American Jewish leaders recently that “only victory against Hamas will allow us to achieve normalization and regional integration,” according to the Times of Israel.

Social media users have been sharing a quote from Gallant. Gallant is quoted as saying, “Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything.” It was also repeated by a writer in a Washington Post opinion article.

The quote has been cited by South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, who mentioned the quote before the International Court of Justice, according to CNN. It was also cited by Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib during a Jan. 11 speech on the House floor.

The quote, though, has been omitted from its full context. Gallant said, “Gaza will not return to what it was before. There will be no Hamas.We will eliminate it all,” according to The Atlantic.

“We understand that Hamas wanted to change the situation; it will change 180 degrees from what they thought. They will regret this moment,” Gallant further said, according to the outlet. In the video itself, the word Hamas can be heard, as well.

The source for the Washington Post opinion article was an Oct. 30, 2023 New York Times opinion piece. The New York Times issued a correction on Jan. 22, noting the article omitted part of the quote.

“An earlier version of this article omitted part of a quotation from Yoav Gallant. He said, ‘Gaza won’t return to what it was before. There will be no Hamas. We will eliminate everything.’ He did not say only, ‘Gaza won’t return to what it was before. We will eliminate everything,'” the correction reads.

The Washington Post did not update the article to note that the quote was incomplete. A Washington Post spokesperson told Check Your Fact in an email that they hoped “you’ll note that The Post’s opinion piece links to the New York Times essay containing the full quote.”

Other outlets such NPR, the Guardian, Bloomberg and the Associated Press have issued corrections and updates, according to The Atlantic.

Check Your Fact reached out to the Israeli Ministry of Defense for comment. (RELATED: Video Does Not Show Israeli Base Hit By Hezbollah)