IDF will 'express our position without fear,' Zamir says on Gaza occupation debate

Yahoo

4 days ago

"The culture of debate is...a vital component of the IDF," Zamir said at a situational assessment before a critical security cabinet meeting.
The Israeli military will "continue to express our position without fear," IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Thursday, in first comments made since reports of disagreements between the Israeli military and the government on a proposed complete occupation of the Gaza Strip.
'We are dealing with matters of life and death in the defense of the country, and we do so while looking toward our soldiers and the civilians of Israel,' IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said Thursday at a situational assessment, just a few hours before the critical security cabinet meeting.
'We will continue to act with responsibility, integrity, and determination, with only the security and well-being of Israel in mind,' he said.
The meeting took place at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv and dealt with the IDF's plans for fighting on all fronts.
The government wants an occupation of at least parts of the Gaza Strip. The IDF has rejected this plan as strenuous and dangerous for soldiers and extremely risky for the hostages who remain alive in Hamas captivity, as troops would close in on the areas where they are being held, putting their lives at a higher risk.
Fifty hostages remain in Hamas captivity, out of the 251 kidnapped by the terrorist group and its affiliates on October 7, 2023. Most of the hostages were freed in ceasefire agreements.
IDF chief: Culture of debate a vital component
Regarding the differences of opinion between the military and political echelons, Zamir said: 'The culture of debate is an inseparable part of the history of the Jewish people. It is a vital component of the IDF's overall culture – both internally and externally. We will continue to express our position without fear in a professional, independent, and substantive manner.'
'We're dealing with matters of life and death'
The military had concluded Operation Gideon's Chariots, the plan approved in May to expand operations in Gaza, positioning Israel even more acutely at the crossroads of what to do next, he said.
'We now have the ability to establish a new security reality along the border while maintaining continuous pressure on the enemy,' Zamir said. 'We will no longer limit our response. We will remove threats in their early stages across all arenas and continue working to achieve our goals.'
'Our intention is to defeat Hamas and continue to operate with our hostages at the forefront of our minds,' he said. 'We will do everything in our power to bring them home.'
Meanwhile, the IDF on Thursday continued operations in Khan Yunis, killing terrorists and destroying underground infrastructure in the area, the IDF reported.
In northern Gaza, troops operated in Jabalya and Darraj Tuffah.
Soldiers killed several terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure in northern Gaza, the IDF reported.
An underground tunnel about one km. long was located in the center of Darraj Tuffah, and most of it was destroyed, the IDF said. Hamas terrorists were killed, and buildings and infrastructure that served them were destroyed, it said.
In southern Gaza, the IDF said it had located several tunnel shafts.
Hamas's Beit Hanun Battalion has 'ceased to function as an organized military force' due to operations in Beit Hanun over the past few weeks, the IDF said. Military structures, observation posts, and sniper positions, along with above- and below-ground infrastructure, were destroyed, it said.
A senior Palestinian official said Hamas had told Arab mediators an increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza would lead to a resumption in ceasefire negotiations.
Israeli officials accuse Hamas of seizing aid to hand out to its fighters and to sell in Gazan markets to finance its operations.
Videos released last week of two living hostages showed them emaciated and frail, triggering international condemnation.
Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades but now controls only parts, insists that any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war. Israel says Hamas has no intention of abiding by promises to give up power afterward.
The IDF says it controls about 75% of Gaza. Most of the enclave's population of about two million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months, and aid groups are warning that its residents are on the verge of famine.
'Where should we go? We have been displaced and humiliated enough,' said Aya Mohammad, 30, who after repeated displacement has returned with her family to their community in Gaza City.
'You know what displacement is? Does the world know? It means your dignity is wiped out; you become a homeless beggar, searching for food, water, and medicine,' she told Reuters.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday said Gaza has had its highest monthly figure of acute malnutrition in children, with hunger-related deaths rising in the enclave.
'In July, nearly 12,000 children under five years were identified as having acute malnutrition in Gaza, the highest monthly figure ever recorded,' he said at the organization's headquarters in Geneva.
On Thursday, for the first time in weeks, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip toward the border area, setting off an air-raid siren in Nir Am. It was intercepted by the IAF.