IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Hamas has been significantly weakened and that Israel has fundamentally changed the security reality in Gaza.
Speaking during an operational assessment with Southern Command officers, Zamir said the IDF will continue proactive operations and maintain a forward defense posture along Israel’s borders. He said the military will not allow another October 7-style threat to emerge near Israeli communities.
Zamir described the Gaza campaign as part of Israel’s broader multi-front war effort, citing the same initiative and determination among forces operating in southern Lebanon.
He also reaffirmed the IDF’s commitment to pursuing every person involved in planning or carrying out the October 7 attack. Zamir said the images of the devastated communities, the Bibas family, the surveillance soldiers and all those murdered remain before the military every day.
The chief of staff praised Southern Command troops for sustained offensive operations and efforts to locate Hamas Nukhba terrorists and other participants in the massacre.
Protecting communities near Gaza remains the IDF’s central mission, Zamir said, adding that the military will continue strengthening security and maintaining its forward operational presence inside Gaza itself.
