Israeli Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi visited soldiers of the Nahal Brigade in the Beit Hanoun area of the Gaza Strip this week. Accompanied by the Commander of the Southern Command, General Yaron Finkelman, and the Commander of the 162nd Division, General Itzik Cohen, he conducted an assessment of the situation on the ground.
“We are very firm with Hamas to get the conditions we want, and we will remain so,” Halevi told the soldiers. “We would not have reached an agreement under these conditions if Hamas had not been in such a difficult situation, and we see that. It was you who put Hamas in this difficult situation, along with other troops , strikes, intelligence and continued action.”
The Chief of Staff provided a precise assessment of the operations: “Since October 6, 2024, when we began the operation in the north of the Gaza Strip, we have killed around 3,000 terrorists and captured some. hundreds.”
“We are proud to take a step back to reach out to bring dozens of hostages home alive, and we will be just as determined to resume the fight afterwards,” he added. “This is our current position of strength. When our fellow citizens – civilians and soldiers – are detained by the enemy in very harsh conditions, we are also responsible for the fact that they are there. We are proud to make the effort to bring them home.”
-The visit took place in the presence of several senior IDF commanders, including the commander of the Nahal brigade, which oversees operations in this sector of Gaza.
