“Anyone who took part in the massacre will live as a hunted man until he is eliminated,” Zamir warned.
By United with Israel Staff
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir vowed Tuesday that Israel would continue hunting down every terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre, while stressing that the military remains committed to disarming Hamas and preventing the terror group from rebuilding its capabilities.
Zamir made the remarks during a tour of the Gaza Strip alongside Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, Gaza Division commander Brig. Gen. Liron Batito and brigade and battalion commanders operating in the area.
“In about a month and a half, we will mark three years since October 7,” Zamir said. “Three years in which the IDF has been engaged in a complex, continuous multi-front campaign, in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, Syria, Iran and additional arenas.”
“This is an enormous challenge for the IDF, and we have achieved extraordinary results across every arena and every front,” he added.
Zamir said Israeli forces had prevailed in their battles and significantly weakened Israel’s enemies but warned that the broader campaign was not over.
“Our forces have won every battle. We have significantly weakened all of our enemies and struck their capabilities and infrastructure,” he said. “We continue to prepare and remain vigilant on every front, with the understanding that the campaign is not over.”
Turning specifically to Gaza, Zamir said the IDF remained committed to its central objective of disarming the Strip and Hamas.
“In Gaza, we are not giving up on our primary objective, demilitarizing the Strip and disarming Hamas, using whatever means are necessary,” he said. “We continue to operate systematically to continuously strike Hamas and its leaders wherever they are, including through an ongoing campaign to prevent it from rebuilding its capabilities.”
Zamir also issued a stark warning to terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre.
“The pursuit of the October 7 terrorists continues,” he said. “Anyone who took part in the massacre will live as a hunted man until he is eliminated. This is a long-term mission to which Southern Command and the entire IDF are committed.”
The chief of staff said the military had investigated the failures surrounding Oct. 7 and would not return to the security approach that existed beforehand.
“Our message is clear: We investigated and we are learning the lessons. The IDF will not return to the concepts we experienced on October 6,” Zamir said. “There will be no containment of threats. We will not allow the enemy to rebuild itself, we will not allow terrorist infrastructure to take root, and we will act at every opportunity to eliminate threats as they emerge.”
Zamir also addressed concerns among residents of communities near Gaza, saying the IDF was listening to them and would act against those responsible for threats to their security.
“We understand their concerns, and we will know how to reach anyone behind a threat against them,” he said. “Our forces are deployed on the front line, ahead of the communities, and we continue to eliminate terrorist infrastructure and terrorists.”
Zamir concluded by praising active-duty troops and reservists, noting the heavy burden placed on units repeatedly deployed across different fronts.
“There are tremendous achievements here, built on the determined and uncompromising operations of the forces on the ground,” he said.
Addressing reservists serving a 90-day deployment, Zamir added: “I am aware of the extraordinary burden on the reservists and their families. We are committed to continuing to act on your behalf.”
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