Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir were the ones who initiated Operation 'Strength and Sword' - the IDF's return to combat in the Gaza Strip.
According to a report this evening (Tuesday) by Itai Blumenthal on Kan News, in recent weeks, in preparation for Zamir's appointment, he presented his offensive approach to the minister. In discussions the two held, Zamir conveyed to Katz a message that "there must not be even one minute of negotiations without effective military pressure.".
The decision to launch the operation was made yesterday afternoon, after the operational opportunity had matured and during a discussion convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the Minister of Defense and with the participation of the Chief of Staff, the head of the Mossad, the head of the Shin Bet, the head of the National Security Council, and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
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7 hours after the decision, at 2:00 AM, the operation was launched with attacks on numerous targets in Gaza.
Hamas was surprised by the attacks, and the battle procedure was carried out in secrecy to increase the surprise effect. The opening strike lasted about ten minutes and the fighter jets operated for about two minutes, attacking a list of 80 targets prepared by the Intelligence Division and the Shin Bet.
According to the report, the IDF continues to collect combat damage assessments from attacks against additional terrorists in Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
From the security establishment's perspective, the intention is to continue attacks throughout the Gaza Strip, evacuate the Palestinian population, and possibly even launch a renewed ground maneuver.
At this stage, no reserve soldiers have been drafted under Order 8. The goal is that any future negotiations will take place under fire, in parallel with the cessation of humanitarian aid and without fuel being brought into the Strip.
Today, the Chief of Staff and the head of Military Intelligence arrived at the IDF's hostage command, headed by Nitzan Alon, to verify up close that the attacks are being carried out according to plan and precisely, without endangering the hostages.
IDF representatives informed the families of the kidnapped children at the start of the operation and told them that Hamas might use psychological terror against them. The IDF says that they are aware of the difficult feelings of the families.
