Sources say Lieut. Gen. Eyal Zamir is planning to be more aggressive against Hamas and hold territory captured in Gaza if the war resumes.
By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News
The new IDF chief of staff plans to be more aggressive against Hamas than his predecessor if the war in Gaza resumes, security sources told Walla Wednesday.
Instead of the policy of clearing out terrorists from an area and then leaving, only to need to return as Hamas forces regroup, which occurred repeatedly in several places in Gaza over 15 months of war, Lieut. Gen. Eyal Zamir intends to use massive force to overwhelm the enemy, and then stay.
The ground maneuver would consist of several divisions entering at once, accompanied by immense fire from both the air and the ground, the sources said.
The IDF would then occupy the territory it seized, both to ensure that it remains terrorist-free and to exert pressure on Hamas to make a deal and release the 59 remaining hostages, 24 of whom are still believed to be alive.
The policy of allowing Gazan civilians to leave war zones via humanitarian corridors before they are attacked would continue, the media site noted.
In his first IDF-wide order Wednesday, after acknowledging the army’s failure to protect the country on October 7, 2023, Zamir was very clear on the direction he would take.
“From here on, we turn in one direction – victory and defeating the enemy!” he wrote. “We will not return until they have been destroyed.”
While saying that the soldiers “have made great achievements,” he noted that he would make more demands on them as “there are still many challenges before us,” but also vowed, “I will provide you with the tools to win.”
The Trump administration has already given Israel the armaments it had paid for that former president Joe Biden had halted in his concern over civilian casualties in Gaza, and Secretary of State Mark Rubio announced Saturday night that the White House had authorized $4 billion worth of war materiel, including tens of thousands of bombs, to be sent to Israel immediately.
This is part of a nearly $12 billion arms deal that Jerusalem has worked out with Washington, which will be delivered as they come off the production line over the next few years.
Hours after his promotion ceremony Wednesday, Zamir also emphasized the importance of the value of “victory” in battle to the IDF high command, in contrast to the policy of deterrence that had been the army’s mantra for over a decade.
This will require more personnel as well as more weapons, and on his first night on the job, Zamir ordered the re-establishment of three reconnaissance companies in the Armored Brigades that had been disbanded several years ago, the formation of an additional tank brigade, and to consider establishing a new infantry brigade as well.
He announced that in June his staff will begin working on a new multi-year plan for the IDF’s future, which will take several months to prepare.
In parallel, he appointed Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman to head a team to draw lessons from the army’s investigations into October 7, and plan how to implement them going forward.
Zamir also announced two immediate senior appointments.
Former head of the Personnel Directorate Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor will be the new head of Southern Command instead of Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, who had announced his resignation from the IDF in January over the failure to protect his area of command on October 7.
Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, the commander of the 162nd Division which saw 500 days of action in Gaza, will be promoted and appointed as the next head of the Operations Directorate, replacing Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, who is also resigning.
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