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Israeli Defense Minister Approves New Operational Plans in Gaza Strip
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Tuesday that he has approved new operational plans for the army in the Gaza Strip during a field visit to the Gaza Division headquarters, accompanied by Deputy Chief of Staff Tamir Hayman, Southern Command leader Yonif Asor, and several other military leaders.
Gallant stated during his visit, "I came today to closely observe the progress of the fighting and the preparations of the army forces in the field, in order to facilitate future decision-making."
He added, "Our main objective at this stage is to bring all the hostages back home. If Hamas continues its obstinacy, it will pay an increasing and heavy price by losing control over more areas and having its members and infrastructure targeted until a complete resolution against it is achieved."
Gallant affirmed that the army will continue its operations "unless Hamas shows any flexibility in resolving the hostage issue."
In a related context, the Israeli Defense Minister mentioned in a statement on Friday that he has instructed the takeover of additional lands within the Gaza Strip, along with the evacuation of residents from those areas. He also ordered the expansion of the zones surrounding the Israeli towns close to the strip, aiming to "protect civilians and army soldiers."
Gallant continued, "The longer Hamas refuses to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose that will be annexed to Israel."
It is worth noting that Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza last week, following the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and the failure to reach consensus on the second phase.
