IDF Chief of Staff: "Whoever thought that the IDF would not know how to renew the fighting was mistaken"/IDF Spokesperson
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy spoke for the first time today (Tuesday) about the killing of Yuval Castleman, who helped neutralize terrorists in the deadly attack in Jerusalem. He called the incident "tragic" and expressed his appreciation for Castleman, who he said conducted himself heroically. "We commend the heroism of a civilian who bravely ran into the fire, to stop killing civilians," the chief of staff said, emphasizing the open-fire regulations for fighters: "Do not rush to fire when the risk decreases, and we do not shoot those who raise their hands. The specific case itself is of course still under investigation, these insights are important for all of us to know now."
Regarding the renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip, the chief of staff said, "Whoever thought that the IDF would not know how to renew the fighting after the ceasefire ended was mistaken, Hamas feels it very well." He said that in recent days IDF forces had eliminated senior Hamas commanders. "We took over many Hamas strongholds in the northern Gaza Strip, and now we are working against its centers of gravity in the south," he added. Halevy also said that weapons were found in almost every house in the Gaza Strip: "Part of the method is weapons placed in homes, a terrorist comes to the house in civilian clothes and conducts the fighting from there."
Halevy was referring to a report in the Wall Street Journal according to which Israel had built a pump system in the northern Gaza Strip to flood Hamas tunnels. "We encounter many underground infrastructures in Gaza," the chief of staff replied, "We have various ways, I will not talk about them here. Explosion and destruction, as well as capabilities that prevent Hamas operatives from using the tunnels during fighting." As for discharging seawater, he implicitly said, "That's a good idea."
IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevy in a statement to the media, December 5, 2023/Amir Bohbot
The chief of staff further referred to the fighting against Hezbollah. "We are charging Hezbollah a great price that this organization is trying hard to hide, it probably knows why," he said. "Although we are focused on the Gaza Strip, at the same time we are continuing the operational activity aimed at bringing a better, much better reality on the northern border.
When asked by Walla! Whether it is possible to end the war without eliminating Yahya Sinwar, the chief of staff refused to answer unequivocally.
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- Herzi Halevy
- Iron Sword War
- Gaza War