Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Friday inspected areas in the southern Gaza Strip and met with troops and commanders of the reserve brigades and the 828th “Bislamach” Infantry Brigade.
(The “Bislamach” Brigade is composed of soldiers from the Infantry Corps squad commanders and platoon sergeants training school.)
“Soon we will mark two years of the war. We are doing everything to return the hostages quickly and defeat Hamas,” said Zamir.
“We are conducting a central operational effort in the northern Strip and Gaza City. We have severely damaged Hamas’s capabilities, we have collapsed its governing capacity, and now the enemy is operating in guerrilla-like patterns,” he continued.
“You must persevere and eliminate the last pockets of resistance in Rafah,” he said.
“You are among the finest of the people of Israel. The fact that you report for duty time and again, perform the missions with high morale and motivation despite the difficulties that I know exist, deserves great appreciation,” Zamir said.
The 98th Paratroopers Division is expanding operations in Gaza City, the IDF said on Friday, describing it as a “dense and complex environment” that requires combining maneuvering on the ground with precise intelligence and aerial support.
During one engagement, troops identified a terrorist armed with a rocket-propelled grenade who was subsequently slain, the military said.
The IDF also struck a high-rise building near Gaza City that was used by Hamas and housed lookout posts coordinating and executing attacks against Israeli forces.
Steps were taken before the strike to minimize harm to civilians, including issuing advance warnings, using precision munitions and maintaining aerial surveillance, the military said.
“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip systematically violate international law, brutally exploiting civilian infrastructure and the Gazan population as human shields for terrorist activities,” the IDF added.
The Israeli Air Force struck some 120 targets in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, including terrorist cells and military infrastructure, the IDF said on Saturday afternoon.
Israeli ground forces continued expanding operations in the Gaza City area, destroying anti-tank missiles, rockets and explosives, and killing several terrorists who posed a threat, according to the military.
The IAF also hit Hamas observation posts used to monitor Israeli troops, as well as gathering points for operatives and underground infrastructure.
Troops also dismantled explosive devices planted in the area.
“The IDF will continue to operate against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” the military said.
