Israeli Army Chief Eyal Zamir Signals Renewed War in Gaza with Surprise Military Drill
In a bold move, Israel’s new Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir visits Gaza, simulating a Hamas attack as he prepares the army for a possible new escalation.
Watan-The new Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Eyal Zamir, began his tenure with a visit to the Gaza Strip, a move that carried strong messages about the next phase of the war.
Zamir did not intend to merely conduct an inspection tour or greet his soldiers; instead, he surprised them by announcing a hypothetical scenario of an attack by Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in an attempt to simulate the events of October 7.
Upon arriving at the buffer zone in the northern Gaza Strip, near one of the settlement outposts close to Beit Hanoun, he informed the company commander that he was now “under real attack” from Hamas and ordered him to act immediately.
This sudden field exercise put the soldiers on high alert, forcing them to deal with a combat scenario similar to what happened at the beginning of the war on Gaza.
Mixed Reactions Within Israeli Army to Zamir’s Bold Move
Reactions within the Israeli army were mixed. Major General Yaron Finkelman, the outgoing commander of the Southern Command, was surprised by Zamir’s decision to inaugurate his term in this manner. However, he also recognized that the move sent a clear message: the war is not over, and any truce could end at any moment with a resumption of fighting.
Zamir’s Gaza Visit: Prelude to Escalation?
Israeli media noted that Zamir was well aware of the impact of this move, as he sought to reinforce the image of a strong leadership determined to restore the prestige of the Israeli army after its catastrophic failure to counter the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation. The Hebrew-language news site “Ynet” described the move as a direct attempt by the new Chief of Staff to target the army’s greatest weakness—the failures exposed by Hamas in its previous attack.
Zamir, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff and was close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is known for his hardline military stance and his belief in the necessity of preemptive strikes against Hamas to prevent it from rebuilding its military capabilities. In his latest statements, he indicated that “the confrontation has not yet been settled” and that the Israeli army had not fully completed its mission on October 7, implying that the resumption of war is only a matter of time.
These statements raise significant concerns about the future of the Gaza Strip, as it appears Israel is preparing for another round of fighting at a time when humanitarian conditions remain unprecedentedly dire. Is Zamir’s visit to Gaza the beginning of a new escalation, or merely a show of force aimed at boosting soldiers’ morale after consecutive defeats?
