IDF chief Halevi says continued military pressure on Hamas is crucial for bringing home hostages

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi emphasized on Saturday that continued military pressure on the terror organization Hamas is crucial to secure the return of the remaining Israeli and international hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip by terrorists.

Halevi argued that in order to “bring about real results, we must continue to operate in the enemy’s territory and not allow attempts [by Hamas] to reach a ceasefire through blackmail.”

The IDF chief stressed that the goal of eliminating Hamas as a threat requires patience and perseverance.

“Hamas leadership is pinning its hopes on a cessation of hostilities and is convinced that this moment is near… In order to dismantle Hamas, we need to have patience,” Halevi stated.

The Israeli army chief revealed that Israeli forces fighting in the Gaza Strip are “acting via all means, mostly covert, in order to bring back [the hostages] and will continue to do so until we return them all.”

The various efforts to rescue the Israeli hostages are very risky as Hamas cynically blends with the civilian population and uses civilians as human shields.

In December, Israeli forces mistakenly killed the three Israeli hostages – Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz – in a Gaza battle zone after they were mistakenly identified as terror threats to IDF soldiers.

The Israeli military took full responsibility for the unbearable tragedy.

“This is a sad and painful event for all of us, and the IDF bears responsibility for everything that happened,” IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari announced at the time.

In early January, the Israeli military revealed that Israeli hostage Sahar Baruch was tragically killed during a failed rescue attempt in the Gaza Strip. Baruch who hailed from the devastated Kibbutz Be’eri community was one of approximately 240 Israelis and foreign nationals who were brutally kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and their allies during the brutal invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7. Hamas is reportedly still holding Baruch’s body.

The Israeli army chief vowed on Saturday that the IDF would undertake an internal investigation concerning the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 terror attack.

“Honest investigation is the lifeblood of an army… Of course, an operational investigation does not replace an external inspection or investigation. We understand that the war will continue for a long time, and so we’ve started planning the structure of the investigations,” Halevi said.

“We must begin to understand what happened, in order to better protect the residents of the [Gaza border communities] and in order to know how to ensure that this day will not be repeated,” he added.

The Israeli military largely controls the northern half of the Gaza Strip while still facing isolated pockets of Hamas terrorists. The IDF has shifted its focus toward southern Gaza where the terror organization’s top leaders and most remaining operatives are believed to be hiding alongside some 130 Israeli hostages. There is a particular operational focus on the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other top Hamas officials are believed to be hiding. Israeli forces are gradually advancing deeper into the region surrounding Khan Younis while facing stiff opposition from Hamas terrorist forces.