IDF’s Gaza simulation drill puts Hamas on notice

Israeli soldiers used a Beersheba site to simulate the type of urban warfare they would face should the IDF mount an operation deep into Gaza.

By: World Israel News Staff

On Monday, the IDF staged an extensive military drill simulating a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

The drill was launched in the Negev region, with Beersheba serving as a stand-in for the type of urban terrain IDF soldiers would encounter in Gaza’s cities, reported Israel’s Channel 10 news.

After a weekend in which Hamas fired around 200 rockets from Gaza into Israeli territory, injuring civilians and damaging property including a synagogue, the Negev-based IDF drill has been interpreted was a warning to terror groups in the Gaza Strip.

A commander named Ohad Najameh who was involved in the drill told Hadashot TV news, “In order to win, we need to confront the enemy, and we want to confront them on our terms, in our time.”

Najameh also remarked that while the IDF could quickly move deep into the Hamas-run coastal enclave, a decisive victory over the terror group would take considerable time.

In addition to preparing troops for a potential ground operation, Najameh also explained that the IDF was ready to take out Hamas leadership, including the terror group’s top officials.

“We are ready and speaking in terms of war [that could come] tomorrow,” Lt. Col. Barak Rubin told Channel 10, “It occurs to me that this drill could become a real entry into the Strip,” reported Times of Israel.

“The purpose is decisive action, that when I meet the enemy, I will be able to defeat him and destroy him. We’re preparing surprises on our side, tools the other side is unaware of,” Rubin added.

Prior to the large-scale drill in Beersheba, additional Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries were installed in the greater Tel Aviv area and in Israel’s south, with reservists called up to operate them.

The Security Cabinet was also briefed on Monday regarding the Home Front Command’s conflict preparedness.

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