IDF Chief of Staff in Gaza: “Everyone Who Took Part in the Massacre Will Be Hunted Until They Are Eliminated”

IDF Chief of Staff in Gaza (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said today (Tuesday), during a tour of the Gaza Strip, that the IDF has changed its approach in the wake of the events of October 7 and will not allow terrorist organizations to rebuild their strength. He said the campaign is not yet over, and that the IDF will continue operating offensively and systematically against emerging threats along the country’s borders, with a focus on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Zamir conducted the tour alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gaza Division commander Brig. Gen. Liron Batito, and the commanders of the brigades and battalions operating in the Strip. During the visit, the commanders presented the chief of staff with the operational picture and the forces’ activities in the area. 

During the tour, Zamir said: “In about a month and a half, we will mark three years since October 7. Three years in which the IDF has dealt with a multi-front, complex, and ongoing campaign in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and other arenas,” the chief of staff said. According to him, this is a significant challenge for the military, but achievements have been recorded in the various arenas during this period: “Our forces have won every battle, we have significantly weakened all our enemies, and struck their capabilities and infrastructure. We continue to prepare and remain alert in every arena, understanding that the campaign is not over.”

Zamir made clear that demilitarizing Gaza and disarming Hamas remain a central goal: “In Gaza, we are not giving up on the ultimate objective, demilitarizing the Strip and disarming Hamas, by every means necessary. We continue to work systematically to continuously strike Hamas and its leaders wherever they are, including through an ongoing campaign to prevent it from rebuilding its strength.”

The chief of staff also addressed efforts to locate and strike those who participated in the October 7 attack: “The pursuit of the October 7 terrorists continues; everyone who took part in the massacre will live as a fugitive until they are eliminated. This is a long-term mission to which the command and the entire IDF are committed.”

According to him, “Our message is clear: We investigated and are drawing lessons; the IDF will not return to the concepts we experienced on October 6. There will be no containing threats. We will not allow the enemy to rebuild itself, we will not allow terrorist infrastructure to become entrenched, and we will act at every opportunity to remove threats as they emerge.”

Zamir added: “We are listening to the voices of the residents; we understand their concerns, and we will know how to reach anyone behind a threat against them. Our forces are deployed on the front line ahead of the communities, and we continue to thwart terrorist infrastructure and terrorists.”

(צילום: דובר צה״ל)

(צילום: דובר צה״ל)