IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir faces a range of significant challenges, with the immediate priority being to win the war in Gaza, defeat Hamas, secure the return of all hostages, and prepare for the possibility of prolonged military control if no alternative solution emerges.
According to News14, in talks behind closed doors, Zamir told his close associates, “I am not opposed to military control in the Gaza Strip. Humanitarian aid should be removed from the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
Zamir receives a disbanded general staff, with several generals who have already announced their retirement from the IDF, including the commander of the Southern Command, the head of the Operations Division, and the head of the Strategy Division.
There are four more generals with question marks over their names, starting with the recently appointed head of the Intelligence Directorate, the commander of the Air Force, and the coordinator of government operations in the territories. The Chief of Staff has already formulated a large part of the list of his new General Staff, and in the coming days will confirm the appointments with Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Some of the anticipated appointments were revealed on Channel 14, including the appointment of Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai and Southern Command Commander Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, the former head of HR will be returning to the army after the outgoing Chief of Staff had dismissed him. Chief of Staff Halevi did not like Asor’s criticism of his policy regarding the Haredi draft.
IT’S ABOUT GAZA, STUPID
Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir faces a series of significant challenges, with the primary focus being to win the war in Gaza, defeat Hamas, secure the return of all the hostages, and prepare for the possibility of prolonged military control if no alternative solution is found. Achieving these objectives will require intense military pressure and a shift back to a more aggressive approach in Gaza.
In closed-door talks, Zamir told his associates: “I am not opposed to military control of the Strip, humanitarian aid should be taken from the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization.” He added, “I will advise the political echelon that the Palestinian Authority will not be a part of the next day in Gaza.”
Zamir wrote Thursday morning in his daily command to IDF soldiers: “We are headed in one direction – victory and the defeat of the enemy. We will strike a crushing blow against our enemies who sought to destroy us, who slaughtered and raped, who burned and kidnapped.”
Zamir continued, “The State of Israel has been engaged in a long and challenging campaign for about a year and five months. Enemies from near and far have tried to destroy us. They were wrong to think that our spirit was weak and our ranks were fragile. The Israel Defense Forces did not fulfill its mission on October 7. We will not hide or cover it up. The cries of our brothers and sisters who risked their lives will forever be carried like a scar in our hearts.”
“But ‘Lo, a people that rises like a lioness, leaps up like a lion’ (Deut. 23:24). From the abysses, imbued with valor – our people rose up, our army rose up, you rose up with them and returned the war a hair’s breadth. From here, our faces are set in one direction – victory and the defeat of the enemy. This is our mission, this is our destiny. On our enemies who sought to destroy us, who slaughtered and raped, who burned and kidnapped – we will strike a crushing blow,” Zamir wrote.
He added: “‘We will not return until they are consumed,’ and we will not be silent until our brothers return from the tunnels of captivity – this is our moral duty.”
It’s nice to have a military chief of staff who quotes from the Torah. If you recall, Torah quotes used to be career-enders for IDF generals.
