JAKARTA - Israel's Chief of Staff Defense Forces (IDF) Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who was sworn in on Wednesday, said the mission to defeat Hamas in Gaza was "not finished".
Lieutenant General Zamir said the Israeli military "has achieved concrete achievements on the battlefield, won the battle in Gaza and Lebanon, and has attacked in Yemen and Iran.
"Even though the Hamas group has suffered a heavy blow, they have not been defeated. The mission is not finished yet," he was quoted as saying by The National March 5.
The fighting in Gaza has been halted since January 19 based on a gradual ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Egypt, supported by the United States, which allows the exchange of 33 Israeli hostages with about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Five Thai hostages were also released, under separate agreements.
Meanwhile, the war in Lebanon, which erupted after Iran-backed Hezbollah forces launched an attack on Israel in support of Hamas, has also been halted under a separate ceasefire agreement.
Speaking before Lt. Gen. Zamir at the inauguration ceremony at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him Israel was "strengthened" to win in a multi-front war that began with Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.
"The very heavy responsibility lies with you, the result of war will have an important meaning for future generations, we are determined to win," said PM Netanyahu.
Lieutenant General Zamir replaces Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who resigned as IDF Chief of Staff after admitting failure to fulfill his mandate and preventing the October 7, 2023 attack.
As soon as a gradual ceasefire agreement in Gaza was agreed on January 19, Lieutenant General Halevi announced plans to resign, accepting responsibility for an uneven and uncoordinated military response to the October 7 attacks.
Lieutenant General Zamir (59) took over the IDF command at a sensitive time in Israel's war in Gaza, with the ceasefire in effect on January 19 unclear.
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When announcing his appointment last month, PM Netanyahu said he had high hopes that Lt. Gen. Zamir would help achieve Israel's goal of "absolute victory" against Hamas.
The new military commander will also take over operations in the occupied West Bank, where the military has deployed tanks in recent weeks for the first time in 20 years.
It is known that Lt. Gen. Zamir, who led the main operation during the second Palestinian intifada between 2000 and 2005, served as military secretary Netanyahu from 2012 to 2015.
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