“Over the past day, IDF troops in the Southern Command, both the standing army and reserves, began a broad ground operation throughout the northern and southern Gaza Strip, as part of the start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the military said in a statement.
Visiting Gaza on Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that the military would press forward with the offensive, but at the same time allow flexibility in order not to torpedo talks for a hostage deal that are ongoing in Qatar.
“The directive is clear: Defeat the enemy and destroy its infrastructure wherever we operate,” Zamir said, adding that “the IDF will allow flexibility for the political echelon to advance any hostage deal.”
“A hostage deal — this is not a halt; it is an achievement,” Zamir stressed. “We are working toward it.”
IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, in a press statement from the Gaza border, said five divisions are now operating inside the Strip.
“We are entering a new stage in the fighting. During the operation, we will increase and expand our operational control in Gaza, while bisecting the Strip and moving the population for its safety in all the areas where we operate,” he said.
Defrin said the IDF has implemented lessons learned from the fighting in Gaza thus far.
“Unlike before, we are now focusing on the offensive effort in the Gaza Strip…until the defeat [of Hamas] in the areas where we operate,” he said.
Defrin added that the IDF is doing “everything” to prevent harm to the hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza during the new offensive against the terror group.
“The fighting is being conducted in full coordination with the [military’s] Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters [unit]. We are doing everything to prevent harm to the hostages. They are always top of mind,” he said.
“We are moving forward, and the only thing that can stop us is the return of our hostages,” Defrin said.
He also justified the IDF’s vague public statements on its operations in Gaza, saying: “Ambiguity is a tool. We won’t share our plans with Hamas. They will see actions on the ground.”
The IDF said that over the past week, the Israeli Air Force struck over 670 Hamas targets in Gaza “in order to disrupt the enemy’s preparations and assist the ground operation.
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