IDF Chief Warns of Expanded Operations in Gaza Amid Stalled Hostage Talks

JERUSALEM (VINnews)— Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned Monday that the military will escalate its ground operations in the Gaza Strip if Hamas continues to reject a hostage deal.

“Hamas will pay the price for its refusal,” Zamir said in a video statement. “It will face intense firepower. We will expand the ground maneuver, conquer additional territory, and destroy the terror infrastructure until its defeat.”

Zamir emphasized that the military is acting in self-defense.

“We are defending ourselves, and for that we must attack,” he said.

The chief of staff said Hamas has a single option to avoid further escalation: the release of Israeli hostages. Should a deal be reached, Zamir said the IDF would “know how to adjust its activity accordingly.”

His comments came amid growing scrutiny of Israel’s military conduct in Gaza. Earlier in the day, Yair Golan, chairman of The Democrats party and a former general, drew controversy after accusing the IDF of killing babies in Gaza “as a hobby.”

Without directly naming Golan, Zamir rejected the criticism.

“Any statement that casts doubt on the integrity of our actions and the morality of our fighters is baseless,” he said. “The IDF operates at all times in accordance with the IDF’s values, the law, and international law, while uncompromisingly safeguarding the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”

Zamir delivered his statement following a visit to Gaza, where he held a situational assessment with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor and 98th Division commander Brig. Gen. Guy Levi.