The Chief of the General Staff in the Southern Command: “Our determination to disarm Hamas and the rest of the terrorist organizations is absolute"

“We will not relent and will continue operating until the last fallen hostage, SFC Ran Gvili, is brought to burial in Israel”

The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, conducted a field tour today (Wednesday) in the southern Gaza Strip together with the Commander of the Southern Command, MG Yaniv Asor; the Commander of the Gaza Division, BG Barak Hiram; the Commander of the Golani Brigade; the Commander of the 188th Armored Brigade; the Commander of the Southern Gaza Brigade; and additional commanders.

During the visit, the Chief of the General Staff spoke with the troops on the ground and expressed his appreciation for their offensive operations in response to Hamas’ ceasefire violations. He emphasized the need to maintain a high level of alertness and thwart threats in order to protect the civilians of the State of Israel.

From the remarks of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir: “In 2025, the IDF achieved unprecedented accomplishments, foremost among them a severe blow to the Hamas terrorist organization, the dismantling of all its front-line units, the removal of the threat as we experienced on October 7th, and the return of all living hostages to their homes. We are operating to bring the last fallen hostage, SFC Ran Gvili, to burial in Israel, thereby concluding the chapter of the return of hostages from Gaza.

The year 2026 will be a decisive year in shaping the security reality of the State of Israel. Our determination to disarm Hamas of its weapons is absolute. We will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to rebuild its capabilities and threaten us.

We are positioned along the Yellow Line and control the dominant terrain overlooking the Gaza Strip - this is a new security boundary.
The Yellow Line is an enhanced defensive line that supports swift operational responses as required. We will continue operating to weaken Hamas as necessary - the troops must remain alert and prepared for developments.

In recent months, we have begun to enhance our work on building a multi-year plan and refining the IDF’s strategy. We will not return to the reality that existed before October 7th.

This week, we concluded the October 7th inquiries. We will internalize their lessons and implement them on the ground. A series of teams has been established to apply and integrate the lessons as part of the IDF’s strategy.

Continue to lead with initiative and a proactive approach, with a forward-looking view toward shaping the security reality across all arenas.”

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