IDF chief in Gaza: We've changed the security reality

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Wednesday that the Israeli military had “significantly weakened” Hamas and “fundamentally changed the security reality” in the Gaza Strip, pledging that Israeli forces would keep operating proactively to prevent another Oct. 7-style attack.

Zamir conducted an operational assessment in Gaza alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, 99th Division commander Brig. Gen. Elad Tzuri, Gaza Division commander Brig. Gen. Liron Batito and other officers.

Battalion commanders briefed him on the current operational picture before he met with division and brigade commanders in the field.

“The IDF is positioned at the front, ahead of the communities and their residents, in order to protect them,” said Zamir. “We will not allow a threat to emerge on our borders like the one we experienced during the Oct. 7 massacre.”

He singled out the ongoing pursuit of Nukhba terrorists who took part in planning and carrying out the 2023 attack. “The images from the communities, the Bibas family, the surveillance soldiers, and all the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre are before our eyes every day,” he said. “We will not relent until we bring every person who played a part in it to justice—sooner or later. This is a permanent and ongoing mission,” he said.

Zamir described Gaza as “part of a multi-front effort,” noting he had visited troops in Southern Lebanon last week and found “the same spirit—a spirit of initiative, determination and commitment to the mission.”

Netanyahu: IDF won’t withdraw from Gaza before Hamas disarms

Israel will not pull back from its current positions in the Gaza Strip until the Hamas terrorist organization is completely disarmed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Tuesday.

“I am standing firm on our security interests—we will not withdraw from our current lines until Hamas is completely disarmed,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language video posted to his Facebook page.

He added that IDF soldiers had been instructed “to do everything necessary to defend themselves, to defend our territory, to defend our citizens.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and his team believe they can persuade Hamas to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, he said, adding, “We are examining that.”

The Trump administration presented Israel with a draft agreement that Jerusalem rejected, according to Netanyahu. “This is not our draft,” he stressed, adding that Israel had conveyed its own comments to the White House.

“We are standing firm on our interests,” the prime minister concluded.

In a podcast interview with Israeli historian and media personality Gadi Taub aired on Monday, Netanyahu expressed skepticism regarding Hamas’s willingness to lay down its weapons as required by the Board of Peace’s 15-point Roadmap for peace in Gaza.

“I don’t think Hamas is going to turn into a kitten—this predator,” Netanyahu said.

The 15 points were published last week, sparking concern in Israel as they stipulate the withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip before the terrorist group fully disarms.

When asked during the podcast if Israel had missed the opportunity to eradicate Hamas in Gaza, the prime minister replied, “It’s not missed—it’s not completed. There’s still work to do … Hamas must be disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, and only then [Gaza] can start reconstruction, including rehabilitating its fanaticism.”

Earlier this week, Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s high representative for Gaza, tasked with overseeing the ceasefire with Hamas, said after talks with Netanyahu in Jerusalem that implementation of Trump’s Gaza plan had entered the “hard phase.”

“Long day in Jerusalem, sitting down with Prime Minister Netanyahu and his team,” Mladenov wrote on X on Monday. “This is the start of the hard phase and I have never pretended otherwise. Not much of what we do now is dramatic. It is slow, grinding and technical work.”

Earlier on Monday, the Board of Peace stated that it and Israel “share a common understanding of the ultimate objectives. Contrary to inaccurate reports, we note that the withdrawal of the IDF beyond the Yellow Line will take place only once decommissioning [of weapons] is complete, as Hamas committed to the mediators.”

Get the latest updates in our WhatsApp group.

Test yourself on one question pulled from JNS reporting. New puzzles daily.