IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday urged Palestinians to “rise up and break away from Hamas,” asserting that the terror group had caused the war and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
“I call on Gazan residents: rise up and break away from Hamas – it is responsible for your suffering. The war and the suffering will end if Hamas releases the hostages and relinquishes its weapons,” he said from Gaza City.
Zamir’s comments were delivered during a tour and situational assessment in the city, where the IDF announced that the majority of the neighborhood’s civilians had already been evacuated amid ongoing military operations.
“We are operating in the Gaza Strip with a large number of troops, with a focus on striking Gaza City to create conditions for the release of the hostages and for Hamas’s decisive defeat,” Zamir continued. “The IDF strikes powerfully and precisely – all of its capabilities are at the disposal of the troops. We will continue a systematic and thorough advance, while ensuring compliance with all security rules.”
Zamir added that Israel would continue to protect its civilians and “engage in a just and moral war.”
Speaking on the current diplomatic crisis faced by the Jewish state, the IDF chief also added, “There are nations in the world that hold a distorted view of reality and are exerting pressure on us, instead of on Hamas, after the horrific massacre committed against our people. On Rosh Hashanah, we will bring security, [we will] defend, and [we will] prevail. This is a war between freedom and oppression.
“This is a war in which the IDF, our troops – you – are the line of defense for Israeli civilians and the Jewish people, but also for humanity and the free world, against terror, oppression, and brutality.”