Jerusalem, Israel - May 25, 2017: Israeli soldier military man saluting to the Western wall in Jerusalem. / Envato

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – Israel’s leadership on Tuesday signaled the war against Hamas is entering its most critical stage, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir pledging to press on until the terror group is destroyed.

At the Nachshonim base in central Israel, Zamir addressed newly mobilized reservists alongside senior commanders, emphasizing that ground operations were already underway and would intensify in the coming days. “Our enemies, on October 7th and since then, across the Middle East, united in their attempt to harm us and to destroy us. We are operating against all of them, constantly, with determination, without pause,” he said. “Hamas will have no place to hide from us. Wherever we locate them, whether senior or junior figures–we strike them all, all the time.”

The IDF chief confirmed that forces were entering areas of Gaza “never before penetrated,” stressing that the army was acting with “courage, strength, valor, and an extraordinary spirit.” He told the reservists: “Nowhere does the IDF offer anything less than decisive victory. We will not stop the war until we defeat this enemy.”

In a video address later that evening, Netanyahu declared that “what began in Gaza–must end in Gaza.” He pointed to Israel’s successes not only against Hamas but also against Iran’s regional proxies, saying, “We broke the Iranian axis–in Gaza, in Lebanon with Hezbollah, with the Assad regime that collapsed, with Iran itself that threatened us with existential threats which we removed together, and now also against the Houthis.”

The prime minister underscored the justness of Israel’s war, invoking the atrocities of October 7: “the beheadings, the women who were raped, the babies who were burned, the hostages taken into the tunnels of Gaza.” He said the government had made “very difficult decisions, decisions that no one believed we could actually implement,” but had done so with the strength provided by Israel’s soldiers and reservists. “Now we stand before the stage of decision. I believe in you, I trust you, and the entire nation embraces you. With God’s help – together we will win.”

The IDF announced preparations for a large-scale mobilization of reservists and an expected expansion of ground operations aimed at capturing Gaza City, Hamas’s last major stronghold. Netanyahu has already signed off on the plan and authorized renewed hostage negotiations but made clear he would accept no partial deals, insisting on terms that end the conflict decisively.

Both Netanyahu and Zamir reaffirmed Israel’s twin objectives: the return of the hostages and the total defeat of Hamas.

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