IDF chief announces plan for 'next phase' of Hamas war

The Israel Defense Forces' Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, revealed Israel's next phase of its war against Hamas on Sunday.

Zamir spoke to IDF soldiers during a field tour in Gaza on Sunday, saying they plan to move forward with the momentum of "Operation Gideon's Chariots."

"Today we are approving the plan for the next phase of the war. Just as in the recent operations in Iran, Yemen, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria, and Gaza, we will continue to reshape the security reality," Zamir told battalion leaders and others present on Sunday.

"We will maintain the momentum of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' while focusing on Gaza City. We will continue to strike until the decisive defeat of Hamas, with the hostages always at the forefront of our minds," he continued.

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"Soon we will move on to the next phase of Operation 'Gideon's Chariots,' in which we will continue to enhance the strikes against Hamas in Gaza City until its decisive defeat," he added. "The current campaign is not a pinpoint one; it is just another layer in a long-term and planned strategy, with a multi-front vision to strike all components of the axis, and first and foremost Iran."

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Zamir went on to thank the soldiers for the months and years of service they have already performed in Gaza, once again emphasizing that the return of the hostages is their highest priority.

"You have been fighting for nearly two consecutive years, achieving unprecedented accomplishments that bring security to the communities near the Gaza Strip and to all the civilians of Israel. I am proud of you," he told the soldiers. "The IDF bears the moral duty to bring the hostages home, both alive and fallen."

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Zamir's field tour comes barely a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced plans for Israel to completely take over the Gaza strip for an indefinite period following the war.

The plan, approved by Israel's Security Cabinet, gives the green light to Defense Minister Israel Katz to call up over 400,000 military reservists to carry out the operation until November 30.