Touring the Gaza Strip, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that the army was “systematically striking Hamas,” amid Israeli pushback over a US-backed disarmament plan that would require a halt to military operations in the enclave.

“We have significantly weakened [Hamas] and changed the security reality,” Zamir said, according to remarks provided by the army.

“The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate proactively. We will not allow a threat to emerge on our borders as we experienced on October 7,” Zamir added, hours after the military said combat engineers recently demolished a tunnel in southern Gaza that contained dozens of rockets.

The remarks followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration Tuesday that Israel has not agreed to the disarmament proposal, which Hamas accepted last week. While pushing back against the plan’s call to stop IDF operations in Gaza, Netanyahu did not deny reports that Israel has agree to tighten the rules of engagement, requiring the approval of the IDF chief of staff before any single strike can go ahead.

The proposal also stipulates that Israeli forces will return to the line of control at the time of October 2025........

© The Times of Israel