TEL AVIV, August 6. /TASS/. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz acknowledged recommending Eyal Zamir for Chief of the Israeli General Staff and noted that the latter would ensure that the Israel Defense Forces would implement the decisions of the country's political leadership.
"It is the right and duty of the Chief of Staff to express his position at relevant meetings. After the political leadership makes decisions, the IDF will resolutely and professionally implement them until the war's objectives are achieved," the top defense official wrote on his X page. "As the defense minister responsible for the IDF on behalf of the government, I must ensure that these things are carried out - and so it will be," Katz added.
The top defense official acknowledged that, "just as was published," it was he who "recommended Eyal Zamir for the position of IDF Chief of Staff." "The prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and the government approved my recommendation," Katz added, noting that he "believed that at the crossroads where the IDF stood, he was the most suitable candidate." "Hamas' refusal to release the hostages requires making additional decisions regarding how to achieve the war’s objectives: eliminating Hamas while creating the conditions for the release of the hostages and ensuring the safety of Israeli settlements [near the border with the Gaza Strip] from now on and forever," he pointed out.
According to the Ynet news outlet, at a closed meeting convened by Netanyahu on August 5, Zamir spoke out against expanding the operation in the Gaza Strip and taking control of the entire enclave due to the threat to the hostages' lives. In his opinion, occupying the entire enclave would also lead to the exhaustion of the fighting army units. Earlier, Ynet reported, citing high-ranking officials from Netanyahu's circle, that the country's political leadership was close to deciding on the "complete occupation" of the enclave. According to one of the news outlet’s sources, "the die is cast"; the Israeli side believes that negotiations with Hamas have reached an impasse, and a military solution is necessary.