The Israel Defense Forces continues to strike Hamas targets and is enhancing its focus on the Gaza City area, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Friday.
“And we will intensify our efforts in the coming weeks,” he added.
The general spoke hours after the military announced that daily humanitarian tactical pauses would no longer apply to the area of Gaza City, which was described as “a dangerous combat zone.”
“The IDF will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing maneuvering and offensive operations against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect the State of Israel,” the statement continued.
Later on Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced that IDF troops had retrieved the bodies of two hostages—Ilan Weiss and another, unnamed, individual—whom Palestinian terrorists had kept in the Gaza Strip.
Weiss, 56, was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, while defending Kibbutz Be’eri. His daughter and wife, Noga and Shiri, were also abducted. They were released in November 2023 as part of a hostage deal.
The name of the other Israeli whose body was retrieved has not yet been cleared for publication.
Hamas is believed to be holding 20 living captives and another 28 bodies.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday convened a meeting at the White House to discuss a comprehensive plan for the Gaza Strip following the Israel-Hamas war, according to Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu oppose a partial hostages-for-ceasefire deal, instead pursuing an agreement recovering all remaining 48 captives and ending the war.
Netanyahu on Monday described his Security Cabinet’s recent decision to advance the war into Gaza City as “unequivocal.”
“Israel will act with determination and strength in order to return all our hostages and defeat Hamas,” he said, adding that “these missions are intertwined.”
