IDF continues striking Hamas ceasefire violations, army chief vows Hamas will be disarmed via 'agreement or violence’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir held a situational assessment of the Southern Command and the Gaza Division on Sunday, reviewing the operational picture and receiving briefings on unit readiness. 

After touring the Rafah area, Zamir noted that the IDF continues “operating to prevent Hamas’ resurgence by holding key areas as well as the entrances to the Gaza Strip.” 

Zamir noted that the IDF holds operational control over “more than 50%” of the Gaza Strip. 

“The IDF operates in a changing reality and is contending with challenges across various arenas. In the Gaza Strip, we  maintain operational control of more than 50% of the area, without controlling the civilian population,” Zamir told the commanders.

“The Yellow Line serves as a security line, and we continue operating to prevent Hamas’ resurgence by holding key areas as well as the entrances to the Gaza Strip.” 

“We will continue to insist that the Hamas regime will not exist on the other side of the border,” Zamir stated. “Even if this requires time - we will persist in the mission of dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, achieving this either through an agreement or through military means.” 

The IDF chief also told the division and brigade commanders that the military needs to be ready to return to “large-scale activity.” 

“Simultaneously to the current operational process, we must be prepared for a rapid transition to a large-scale activity to establish operational control of areas in the Gaza Strip, if required,” Zamir stated, apparently acknowledging the uncertain nature of the Gaza peace deal, following Hamas’ refusal to disarm.

“Our troops continue operating along the Yellow Line to clear the area and eliminate terrorist strongholds.”

Later that evening, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF’s “operation to destroy Hamas's terror tunnels in Gaza is progressing well.” 

“The IDF is acting to destroy the tunnels by means of explosions, or by filling and pouring liquid concrete into the tunnels throughout the area under its control,” Katz stated. 

Despite the ceasefire agreement, small violations by Palestinian terror operatives have occurred on an almost daily basis. 

On Sunday, after Zamir’s visit to the Gaza area, the IDF eliminated a terror operative who crossed the Yellow Line and moved towards Israeli soldiers. 

On Monday, two similar incidents occurred when a group of terror operatives approached near an IDF position, crossing the yellow line and planting suspicious objects in the ground adjacent to troops operating in the northern Gaza Strip.

The soldiers responded by firing on the terrorists, striking and killing one, before the others fled back across the Yellow Line. 

Shortly after that, another terrorist in the northern Gaza Strip was identified crossing the Yellow Line towards an IDF position. Soldiers shot and killed the terrorist. 

In a statement, the military said, “IDF troops in the Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat.” 

Also on Monday, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a Gazan terror group allied with Hamas, said that an Israeli undercover force had killed one of its leaders in the central Gaza Strip. 

According to a statement, the group said Waseem Abdel-Hadi, a commander of its armed wing, was killed in a “cowardly and treacherous assassination operation.” 

However, the group offered no further details, nor did it threaten any retaliation for the killing. 

At time of publication, the IDF had not released any statement regarding the elimination of Abdel-Hadi.