The Chief of the General Staff in the Gaza Strip: “The State of Israel needs wide security margins. In addition, deploying more mandatory and reserve troops will ease the heavy burden placed on reservists”

Today (Wednesday), the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, conducted a field tour in northern Gaza together with the commander of the Southern Command, MG Yaniv Asor, the commander of the 252nd Division, BG Yehuda Vach, the commander of the 646th Brigade, the commander of the Northern Gaza Brigade, and additional commanders.

As part of the visit, the Chief of the General Staff spoke with troops from the 646th Brigade and the Northern Gaza Brigade, expressing his appreciation for the reservists during these times. In addition, he approved operational plans for the future.

From the remarks of the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir:

“This week we operated in Beirut, struck in Dahieh, the Israeli Navy struck in Yemen, and in other locations as well — but Gaza remains the central arena. The Hamas threat will not be allowed to remain beyond the fence. We must continue operating toward the decisive defeat of Hamas, to dismantle its terrorist infrastructure and eliminate its commanders. We are striking in order to defend ourselves.

We have a duty to learn and evolve in light of operational needs. We are making adjustments and establishing new mandatory service and reserve service formations to meet the demands of the current campaign and the challenges ahead.

This week, I approved a comprehensive force build-up plan for the structure and organization of the IDF, which includes the establishment of another division, an armored brigade, an infantry brigade, and other formations.

The State of Israel cannot rely on a minimal force size — it requires wide security margins. In addition, increasing the number of mandatory and reserve troops will ease the burden on reservists.

This past week, we recovered the bodies of three hostages. Bringing all the hostages home is both a moral imperative and a duty we must uphold — whether through operational means or by creating the necessary conditions for negotiations.

Reservists are once again reporting for duty, fully understanding the urgency and gravity of the moment. You, the reservists, reflect Israeli society and its unity in the face of a shared goal — and that is a vital part of our ability to fight together.

The 646th Brigade and the Northern Gaza Brigade have paid a heavy price. The soldiers who fell in this campaign gave their lives defending Israel. We will remember them forever and recognize that in their fall, they protected Be’eri, Nahal Oz, Sderot, and the communities near the Gaza Strip. This is a just and vital fight. We are operating to ensure there will never be another October 7th.

The campaign is not yet over, and we must continue working to bring all our hostages home and to defeat the enemy. We will operate to end the campaign and transition to new combat configurations that will allow us to achieve our objectives while reducing the burden on the troops”.