Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir conducted an operational assessment in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday together with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Commander of the 99th Division Brig. Gen. Elad Tzuri, Commander of the Gaza Division Brig. Gen. Liron Batito, and other senior commanders.
During the visit, Zamir reviewed the operational situation with commanders in the field and emphasized that the IDF will continue implementing its security doctrine across all of Israel's borders.
"We are implementing the security strategy we defined-not only here, but along all of the State of Israel's borders," Zamir said. "The IDF is positioned at the front, ahead of the communities and their residents, in order to protect them."
Referring to the fighting in Gaza, the Chief of Staff said the military had dealt a severe blow to Hamas and transformed the security situation.
"In the Gaza Strip, we have struck Hamas, significantly weakened it, and fundamentally changed the security reality," he stated. "The IDF will continue to operate proactively and according to the principle we established-to remove threats and, in every situation, protect the communities and their residents and safeguard their security."
He stressed that Israel would not allow a renewed threat to develop along its borders similar to the one that led to the October 7 massacre.
"We will not allow a threat to emerge on our borders like the one we experienced during the October 7 massacre," Zamir declared.
The Chief of Staff noted that operations in Gaza are part of Israel's broader multi-front campaign, drawing a comparison to his visit last week to troops operating in southern Lebanon.
"The Gaza front is part of a multi-front effort," he said. "Last week I met with the troops in southern Lebanon, and here I see the same spirit-a spirit of initiative, determination, and commitment to the mission. It is this spirit that enables us to continue implementing the principle we established and to maintain the initiative in our hands."
Zamir praised the Southern Command and the divisions operating in the sector for maintaining an offensive posture and highlighted the ongoing campaign to locate and eliminate those responsible for the October 7 atrocities.
"I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Southern Command and the divisions operating in this sector for their initiative, determination, and sustained offensive approach," he said. "A clear example of this is the pursuit of the Nukhba terrorists and everyone involved in planning and carrying out the October 7 massacre."
He described the effort to bring the perpetrators to justice as a permanent mission.
"The images from the communities, the Bibas family, the surveillance soldiers, and all the victims of the October 7 massacre are before our eyes every day," Zamir said. "We will continue to pursue those responsible, and we will not relent until we bring every person who played a part in the massacre to justice-sooner or later. This is a permanent and ongoing mission."
Concluding his remarks, the Chief of Staff reaffirmed the IDF's commitment to the residents of the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
"We must continue acting to protect the residents of the communities near the Gaza Strip," he said. "Your protection and security are our mission-we will continue working to strengthen security. We have fundamentally changed the security reality, and we will continue to act to ensure that the IDF remains at the front, protecting the communities and their residents and safeguarding their security."