The military has approved plans for the next stage of the war in Gaza, and “will continue striking until Hamas is defeated, with the hostages constantly in our sight,” Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Sunday.

During a visit to IDF Southern Command headquarters in Beersheva, Zamir said that the military would “soon” move to the next stage of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots, “during which we will continue to deepen the damage against Hamas in Gaza City until its defeat.

“Gideon’s Chariots,” he continued, has achieved its goals: “Hamas no longer possesses the capabilities it held before the operation—we have struck it hard.”

Zamir, who was accompanied on his visit by senior officers, said “the current campaign was “another layer in a long-term, planned strategy

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