The head of the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said on Wednesday that the military would keep up its proactive operations in the Gaza Strip, even as diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire remain stalled.
Speaking after an operational tour of the enclave, Zamir said the IDF had dealt a significant blow to Hamas and altered the security landscape. “We have struck a blow against Hamas, significantly weakened it and changed the security situation,” he said, according to a statement released by the military. “The IDF will continue to operate proactively and in accordance with the principle we have established – to eliminate threats and, in all circumstances, to defend the communities and their residents.”
His remarks came just a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected a US-backed proposal for Gaza, which would involve a full Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hamas. In a video message on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Washington had sent a draft plan, but Israel had not agreed to it. “President Trump and his team think they can get Hamas to disarm and demilitarise in Gaza,” he said. “We are looking into that. They sent us a draft, we did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments.”
The plan, unveiled by former US President Donald Trump last week, was touted as a “historic” agreement that would lead to the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, paving the way for a new Palestinian government. Under the proposal, Israeli forces would withdraw while an international stabilisation force would work alongside a new Palestinian police unit to administer the territory.
Analysts remain sceptical about the feasibility of the plan. Jennifer Gavito, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, said external actors would be crucial to its success. “Egypt and Qatar will have to continue to lean heavily on Hamas to fulfil its commitments,” she said. “Trump will also have to put tremendous pressure on Netanyahu.”
The conflict began with Hamas’s deadly assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage into Gaza. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced nearly the entire population of the enclave, according to local health authorities and UN agencies.
Zamir’s pledge to keep operating “proactively” suggests that Israel is not prepared to accept a ceasefire that leaves Hamas with any military capability. The IDF has repeatedly said it will target any remaining threats, even as international pressure mounts for a halt to hostilities and a negotiated settlement.
The standoff has also drawn in regional and international actors. Egypt and Qatar have served as mediators in past truce negotiations, while the United Nations has warned of a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. The latest developments come as the UN chief, António Guterres, has been pushing for a renewed peace process, including fresh talks on the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For European observers, the impasse raises concerns about regional stability and the potential for further escalation. The European Union has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and a two-state solution, but divisions among member states have limited its influence. Meanwhile, the humanitarian toll continues to mount, with aid agencies struggling to deliver supplies amid ongoing hostilities.
As the military and political leadership in Israel dig in, the prospects for a negotiated end to the war appear as distant as ever. Zamir’s statement underscores the IDF’s determination to maintain military pressure, while Netanyahu’s rejection of the US plan highlights the deep mistrust between the Israeli government and the Trump administration’s approach.
The coming weeks will test whether the US-backed plan can be revived, or whether the region will slide back into a wider conflagration. For now, the IDF’s operational posture suggests that the war in Gaza is far from over.
