Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, August 2022
Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, August 2022Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90

The IDF believes that the calm in the Gaza Strip has the potential to last for years, Kan 11 News reported on Friday.

The assessment is based on a combination of several factors. First and foremost, the report said, is Operation Guardian of the Walls, which created a deterrent against Hamas, as well as the concessions that Israel has been making to the Gaza Strip, so Hamas has something to lose if it chooses to violate the ceasefire.

Another reason for the expected calm is the deterrence the latest operation, Breaking Dawn, caused vis-à-vis the Islamic Jihad. The IDF estimates that Islamic Jihad will no longer enter into conflicts against Israel without having prior backing from Hamas, according to Kan 11 News.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF published footage showing the IDF's attempt to avoid civilian casualties during Operation Breaking Dawn.

"Upon receiving the order to fire to destroy an enemy position, we noticed a little girl near the target," it said. "The tank commander immediately ceased fire. The position was destroyed after a few minutes without harming noncombatants."

IDF Chief of Staff, Major General Aviv Kochavi, earlier this week visited the Tel Nof Airbase, and met with the units that operated in Operation Breaking Dawn.

"The role of the IDF is to protect the citizens of the country and the sovereignty of the country. From the moment we recognized the growing threat, we initiated an offensive operation that was the opening signal for an operation that had been prepared a long time in advance, the purpose of which was to deal a serious blow to the Islamic Jihad organization. This was also the result of the operation," Kochavi said.

He added, "We have many more plans, we have many operations of this type, both in Gaza, in the north and in the other arenas, and I tell you and I tell everyone who listens to us, we will not allow any terrorist organization, not in the north, not in the center, not in the south, to harm neither the citizens of the State of Israel nor the sovereignty of the State of Israel."

"We say in the simplest way to any terrorist organization, wherever it is: Know that we will hit you over any offensive action or any threat," concluded Kochavi.

(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)