The commander leading the Israel Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, has approved the plan for the next stage of the ground operation. This phase is slated to commence once the current hostilities in the northern Gaza Strip have reached a conclusion. In a related briefing, Jonathan Conricus, the reserve spokesperson for the IDF, addressed StandWithUs, a non-governmental educational group, outlining the strategic intent behind the ongoing military actions.
Conricus emphasized that the overarching objective remains clear: to restore the security of the State of Israel by dismantling Hamas’ military capabilities and leadership. He framed the operation as a sustained effort to neutralize the organization’s ability to threaten Israeli civilians and regional stability. While he acknowledged the uncertainty inherent in military planning, he reaffirmed that the core aim of disrupting Hamas’ infrastructure and command-and-control networks would guide decisions on timing and deployment for the forthcoming phase.
In his remarks, Conricus reiterated that the Israeli Armed Forces would initiate the new ground campaign after the conclusion of hostilities in the north of Gaza. The schedule is contingent on battlefield conditions and intelligence assessments, but the intent is to target the broader Hamas infrastructure to ensure long-term security for Israeli communities. He stressed that efforts would focus on precision and proportionality, aiming to minimize harm to civilians while achieving strategic objectives that pressure Hamas to abandon its operational capabilities.
Further statements from the day underscored the government’s commitment to a comprehensive strategy. The leadership has linked the military campaign to broader security goals, including weakening Hamas’ leadership structure, disrupting weapons supply routes, and degrading the group’s ability to organize, finance, and execute attacks. This approach reflects a long-standing policy orientation: eliminate threats at their source to reduce the risk of future escalations and to restore regional stability through sustained pressure on militant networks.
In the political arena, recent remarks by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the administration’s intent to dismantle Hamas as an organizational entity. The public messaging has consistently framed Hamas as the central obstacle to peace and security in the region, and officials have warned that any halt to operations would require verifiable changes on the ground. Analysts note that such commitments shape both diplomatic signaling and on-the-ground decision-making as the situation evolves and international responses shape the contours of the campaign.