Tel Aviv [Israel]: Amid the resumption of hostilities after the end of the truce between Israel and Hamas, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reaffirmed that it will use all its power against Hamas terrorists, adding that the country used the seven-day pause of war to 'increase readiness'.
"We pursued them in northern Gaza. We're now pursuing Hamas in southern Gaza too. We will operate in maximum force against Hamas terrorists and infrastructures while minimizing harm to the civilians that Hamas places around them as shields. Our forces used the seven-day pause before the Hamas violation to increase readiness, review intelligence, and refine operational procedures. We are implementing lessons learned for the new phase of this war, improving the efficiency and the precision of our operations on the ground," he said.
Invoking the end of the truce on December 1, Hagari emphasised that the terror group chose war by rejecting the release of hostages and breaking the agreement.
He said, "We have entered a new phase in our war against Hamas. Hamas broke the humanitarian pause when it violated the hostage release agreement by refusing to release women, children, and babies as agreed. Hamas also fired rockets at Israeli homes. It should be clear to everyone by now. Hamas chooses war. Hamas chose war when it broke the hostage release agreement on December 1."