Israel’s army Chief says war on Gaza is yet to be accomplished

new army chief talks tough as he assumes office

On Wednesday, Israel’s newly appointed military chief Eyal Zamir said that his country’s mission to defeat Hamas was not yet accomplished, with his inauguration coming at a precarious moment for an end to the war in Gaza.

Speaking before Zamir at a ceremony at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was determined to achieve victory in the multi-front war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

The remarks come after Arab leaders endorsed on Tuesday a plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip under the future administration of the Palestinian Authority, presenting an alternative to US President Donald Trump’s widely condemned proposal to take over the territory and displace its people.

But the chances of the Palestinian Authority governing Gaza remain far from certain.

This is because Israel have ruled out any future role for the body in the territory ruled by Hamas since 2007.

There was a deadlock in negotiations on next steps in the ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza, and Zaamir was quoted to have said, “Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished,”

Zamir is replacing Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation as armed forces chief in January over the military’s shortcomings on October 7.

The military has since released the findings of an internal investigation that acknowledged its “complete failure” to prevent the deadliest attack on Israel since its creation.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,405 people, also mostly civilians, data from both sides show.

The Israel-Hamas war, also known as the Gaza War, has a complex and multidimensional history.

The latest escalation started on January 19, 2025, but the tensions between Israel and Hamas have been gradually building up for years.

The conflict has its roots in the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist organization, seeking to establish an Independent Palestinian state.

The International community has been calling for a ceasefire and a return to negotiations, with several countries and organizations offering humanitarian aid to those affected.

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