JNS
Eyal Zamir addressed troops near Rafah as the military offensive against Hamas intensifies.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Gaza this week alongside Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar to assess the progress of operations against Hamas in the southern Gaza Strip.
During the visit, Zamir addressed troops near Rafah, stating that the Israel Defense Forces are intensifying their offensive at a deliberate and determined pace. He emphasized that the military effort would continue until all Israeli hostages are returned and declared the mission far from over.
The visit comes amid a renewed push by the IDF in the Rafah area, with a focus on dismantling remaining Hamas infrastructure and disrupting command activity in what is believed to be one of the terrorist group’s last strongholds.
According to the IDF, the 14th Combined Combat Team, operating under the 143rd "Gaza" Division, has completed the encirclement of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah. The area, known for its dense civilian population, has been the site of recent clashes and intelligence-led raids.
Troops uncovered and neutralized dozens of weapons caches, underground facilities, and rocket launchers during the operation. Two rockets and a launcher aimed at Israeli territory were located inside a residential building. Several suspects were arrested and transferred for further interrogation.
The IDF said on Thursday night it also targeted "key terrorists" holed up in a Hamas command and control hub in Gaza City.
"The command and control center was used by the terrorists to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces," stated the army.
Before the airstrike, numerous measures were taken to minimize the risk to noncombatants, including using precision munitions, advance warnings, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence gathering.
"The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law, cynically and cruelly using civilian institutions and the population as human shields for its terror activities," the military statement said.
Military officials stated that the IDF remains committed to dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza while working to secure the return of the remaining hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. That attack, carried out by Hamas operatives who infiltrated Israeli border communities, resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 individuals.
The Rafah area remains a critical objective for Israeli forces due to the suspected presence of senior Hamas figures and significant weapons stockpiles. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, have reiterated that continued military pressure is essential to force Hamas to negotiate further hostage releases.
Zamir’s presence in Gaza, alongside the head of Israel’s internal security service, signals a continued focus on high-intensity operations in the south as the IDF prepares for additional phases of the campaign. The military has indicated it will sustain its operations until its strategic goals, including the neutralization of Hamas’s military capability and the safe return of hostages, are achieved.
“The goal for Israel is the surrender of Hamas, leading to the return of all of our hostages and to force this brutal terrorist organization to withdraw from Gaza and no longer be part of its leadership," Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv told JNS on Thursday. "This is a necessary condition that will benefit the uninvolved people there, if there are any at all, and is essential to Israel’s security.
“We gave Hamas every opportunity to release our hostages. Since they refuse, we will force them to do so through intensified strikes," she added.
Gotliv noted the IDF's greater urgency and aggressiveness in Gaza, attributing this to a changing of the guard atop the military.
"[Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.] Herzi Halevi introduced defeatist concepts, incorrect methods of warfare and subjugation, instead of dominating the land,” she said.
Last month, Zamir took the reins as the 24th chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Halevi had resigned over his “responsibility for the IDF’s failure” during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre.
“The IDF chief [Zamir] and the Minister of Defense [Israel Katz] are now using the same words, saying that if Hamas does not release all of our hostages, we will occupy territories in Gaza with military rule to bring about the return of the captives and the eradication of Hamas,” Gotliv said.
