IDF Chief: Operations will pressure Hamas to release hostages

Halevi: ‘We are dismantling Hamas and targeting its infrastructure and forces to ensure that there will never be another October 7.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

During a situational assessment in Rafah on Wednesday, IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said continued military operations will pressure Hamas to return the 100 hostages remaining in Gaza and create the optimal security situation to allow residents of border communities to return home.

He made the situational assessment alongside senior commanders, including Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman and Gaza Division Commander Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram.

“We are dismantling Hamas and targeting its infrastructure and forces to ensure that there will never be another October 7,” Halevi said.

“We are applying daily pressure on Hamas, driving it into greater distress, to secure the return of the 100 hostages—hopefully alive—and for those who are not, to give them a proper burial in Israel.”

The IDF activities were also designed to ensure the safe return of Gaza border community residents.

“As residents return, our responsibility grows even greater—not smaller. It is our duty to establish a far stronger security framework, ensuring they can feel safe and secure here,” Halevy said.

He thanked the troops for their sacrifice, saying, “You are playing a crucial role in the fight against Hamas, the return of the hostages, and the rebuilding of these communities. This knowledge gives me immense strength to continue, and I believe it is a shared mission for every soldier in the IDF—active and reserve alike. Keep up the incredible work. Thank you.”

Israeli forces will remain in the Gaza Strip after the current war with the Hamas terror organization ends, Israel’s defense chief Israel Katz announced Tuesday, emphasizing that the IDF will be responsible for the longterm security of the coastal enclave.

“After we defeat Hamas’s military and governmental power in Gaza, Israel will have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action, just as it does in Judea and Samaria,” Katz said.

“We will not allow any terrorist organization to threaten Israeli communities and Israeli citizens from Gaza,” he stated.