Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday lit the first Chanukah candle with troops of the 91st Division.
“Today, we are lighting the first candle of Chanukah, the holiday of light and strength—here too, we must remember that our mission will not be complete until the return of the last fallen hostage, Ran Gvili,” he said. “We will continue to operate to protect the residents of the north and enable them to celebrate Chanukah safely,” he continued.
The candle-lighting was conducted following a situational assessment with senior military commanders, including the heads of the Northern Command and Operations Directorate.
During the assessment, Zamir was briefed on the division’s operations, including three eliminations carried out earlier in the day in response to Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. He also spoke with both active-duty and reserve commanders, stressing the importance of defending civilians, particularly during the holiday period.
“We will not allow the enemy to build up power, and we will respond to any violation—our pattern of operation is clear,” Zamir said.
The IDF chief noted that Israeli forces on Saturday killed Ra’ad Sa’ad, a senior operative in Hamas’s “military” wing who had been involved in terrorist activity for more than three decades and was among the planners of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. He added that Sa’ad’s efforts to reconstitute Hamas’s capabilities amounted to a clear violation of the Trump administration-brokered truce deal in the Gaza Strip.
“We will not allow proxy organizations and terror armies to establish themselves along our borders—we will act to thwart them in advance,” said Zamir.
“IDF troops are deployed in forward defense and positioned at key operational control points. Our troops are establishing security lines across all arenas in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. Our presence at these points enables better security for residents alongside freedom of operation for the troops,” he added.
