IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed Tuesday that Israel will press ahead with its campaign to dismantle Hamas and demilitarize Gaza, declaring that every terrorist involved in the October 7 massacre will ultimately be tracked down and eliminated.
Zamir made the remarks during a visit to IDF forces operating in Gaza, where he was joined by Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Liron Bitito, as well as brigade and battalion commanders serving in the area.
As part of the tour, the chief of staff met with commanders on the ground and received detailed briefings regarding the current operational picture and the activities being carried out by Israeli forces throughout the region.
Zamir thanked the soldiers and commanders for their continued operations in Gaza and their efforts to protect Israeli civilians. Looking back at the nearly three years of fighting since the October 7 attack, he said: “In about a month and a half, we will mark three years since October 7. Three years in which the IDF has faced a complex, continuous, multi-front campaign-in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and additional arenas.”
Discussing the scope of the war and the IDF’s accomplishments across the different theaters, Zamir added: “This is a very significant challenge for the IDF, and we have achieved extraordinary results on every front and in every sector. Our forces have prevailed in every battle, significantly weakened all our enemies, and struck their capabilities and infrastructure. We continue to prepare and remain vigilant on all fronts, understanding that the campaign is not over.”
Turning specifically to the war in Gaza, Zamir emphasized that the military remains committed to eliminating Hamas’s capabilities and preventing the terrorist organization from reconstituting itself.
“In Gaza, we are not giving up on the overriding objective-demilitarizing Gaza and dismantling Hamas, using all necessary means. We continue to systematically target Hamas and its leaders wherever they are, as part of an ongoing campaign to prevent it from rebuilding its strength.”
Zamir also made clear that Israel’s effort to locate and eliminate those responsible for the October 7 atrocities remains an active and long-term mission.
“The pursuit of the October 7 terrorists continues. Anyone who took part in the massacre will be hunted down until they are all eliminated. This is a long-term mission to which the command and the entire IDF are committed.”
According to Zamir, the failures surrounding October 7 have also led to a fundamental shift in the IDF’s approach to threats against Israel, with the military determined not to return to the policies that existed before the attack.
“Our message is clear: We investigated and are learning the lessons. The IDF will not return to the concepts we experienced on October 6. There will be no containment of threats.”
Zamir said the new approach means acting against emerging dangers before terrorist organizations are able to strengthen themselves or establish new infrastructure.
“We will not allow the enemy to rebuild itself, we will not allow terrorist infrastructure to become established, and we will act whenever possible to eliminate threats as they emerge,” he said.
Addressing the concerns of Israelis living near areas threatened by terrorist activity, Zamir said the military is attentive to residents and remains positioned between the communities and potential threats.
“We are listening to the voices of the residents, understand their concerns, and will know how to reach anyone behind a threat against them,” Zamir said. “Our forces are deployed on the front lines ahead of the communities and continue to thwart terrorist infrastructure and terrorists.”
Zamir also pointed to the rapid redeployment of IDF units between Israel’s different fronts. He recalled meeting commanders from the Givati Brigade and the 401st Brigade along the northern border only about three months earlier, before those forces returned to operations in Gaza.
“Now you are here, continuing to deepen the achievements in Gaza. Southern Command and the division continue to precisely thwart threats whenever the opportunity arises.”
Concluding his remarks, Zamir praised both active-duty and reserve troops for the results achieved on the battlefield, while acknowledging the extraordinary demands that the prolonged war has placed on reservists and their families.
“There are tremendous achievements here, based on the determined and uncompromising activity of the forces on the ground. This is also not the first time I have met the reservist battalion of the 11th Brigade. The battalion is mobilized for 90 days in this round. I am aware of the extraordinary burden on reservists and their families. We are committed to continuing to act on your behalf.”
{Matzav.com}
