IDF conducts surprise readiness exercise as it prepares plans to carry out takeover of Gaza

A surprise General Staff exercise led by the IDF Comptroller to check the vigilance and readiness of the IDF General Headquarters and the IDF Central Command began Sunday morning the IDF announced on its Telegram channel. 

The exercise, which was titled “Dawn,” will test several multi-arena scenarios, and implements lessons learned from the events of Oct. 7, the IDF noted. It involves most of the units and commands in the IDF, including special units. 

During the exercises, IDF Comptroller Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Sarig. Along with his team, will assess each command’s performance and reaction time. 

As part of the exercise, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir arrived at the IDF's Supreme Command Post, moved between the sections, conducted situation assessments, and examined the activation of the army's commands in the exercise.

Additionally, the chief of staff held situation assessments with the Air Force and Navy commanders.

As part of the exercise, complex scenarios were practiced to examine the IDF's readiness, the processes of transitioning from routine to emergency, and the functioning of the General Staff and regional commands.

“The IDF will continue and initiate a series of audit activities across all commands, branches, and units in order to improve their competence and readiness,” the military statement said. 

The military exercise comes after Zamir stated that the IDF will prepare for the takeover of Gaza as decided by the security cabinet. 

“We are dealing with the new plan, we will deepen the planning, we will prepare at the highest level for all the meanings. And as always, we will carry out the mission in the best possible way,” Zamir said in a briefing to IDF commanders on Friday. 

The exercise also comes after a report in Channel 12 News, which stated that the IDF expects to mobilize 250,000 reservists as part of the plan to conquer the Gaza Strip, while it will also have to evacuate around one million Palestinian residents from the areas in and around Gaza City, the last remaining Hamas stronghold with a functioning battalion. 

The plan, once implemented, will involve the encirclement of the entire Gaza City area, and the evacuation of civilians from the area. At the same time, the military will coordinate with other organizations, such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to set up another 12 humanitarian distribution sites, to aid in supplying the civilians who flee the city. 

The IDF is expected to present its detailed plan for carrying out the proposal of the security cabinet in the coming days. The plan has attracted considerable international outrage, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to give a press conference in English later Sunday afternoon to explain the plan. 

On Sunday, Palestinians reported strikes in the Tufah neighborhood of Gaza City, while at least two rocket launches were detected from the northern Gaza Strip, which were intercepted by Israeli air defense systems.