šÆ Gaza strikes: The IDF reported eliminating two Hamas terrorists in separate strikes yesterday: Rafat Abu Zamar, a company commander in Hamasās operations headquarters, in Khan Younis; and Muhammad Khader Fahmi Aghour, an operative involved in weapons production, in Gaza City. According to the military, Abu Zamar led training ahead of the October 7, 2023, massacre and recently continued training operatives and developing Hamasās combat capabilities.
The IDF and Shin Bet also said an overnight strike on a car north of Gaza City eliminated Ahmad Batash, commander of the Jabaliya Battalion in Hamasās Northern Gaza Brigade. A āmartyr posterā circulated by Palestinian media also identified him as battalion commander. The military said he managed and organized the brigadeās weapons and coordinated weapons and military-equipment supplies to operatives.
Across the accounts, the military said the three men had advanced attacks against Israeli troops and civilians, worked to restore Hamasās capabilities and posed immediate threats. It described their activities as āin systematic violation of the ceasefireā and said the strikes removed those threats.
š®š± Accountability, civilian protection and border defense: Speaking to commanders and western Negev local leaders at the Eshkol Regional Council ahead of the Hebrew New Year on September 15, Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor recalled the Simchat Torah attack at 06:29 almost three years earlier. He acknowledged the disaster, residentsā shattered trust in the military and severe damage to Israelisā personal security. He said the military had regrouped around a shared sense of fate and purpose in a war unlike any it had known.
Asor committed to answering difficult questions honestly and examining, learning from and correcting military failures, while countering claims he described as false with facts. He called scrutiny an obligation rooted in the justness of Israelās cause, rather than a claim of perfection. Invoking Altermanās āThen Satan Said,ā he accused those slandering Israel of seeking to damage its international reputation, sow internal doubt and undermine cohesion.
He described the war as harsh, painful and cruel, requiring sustained resolve despite its heavy costs, and framed it as a struggle against darkness and evil and a democratic, moral stateās right to defeat a terrorist organization seeking its destruction. He said Hamas emerged from Gazaās population and what he called a radical, murderous Islamist culture. He characterized the population as supportive of Hamas, while acknowledging residents who oppose it but cannot influence conditions.
Asor said Israeli forces insist on distinguishing the enemy from uninvolved civilians and doing everything possible to minimize civilian harm. He accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields and cover, arguing that it benefits both from civilian casualties and when civiliansā presence deters Israeli strikes against its operatives.
He said forces defend border communities from inside Gaza, have established a new defensive line and operate around the Yellow Line to push threats farther away, thwart terrorists and terrorist infrastructure, and prevent Hamas from rebuilding. He cited strikes on tunnels, weapons and production infrastructure and pledged continued pursuit of threats to Israeli citizens.
Asor urged commanders to lead with courage, dedication, IDF values and Jewish morality until victory, assuring them of their commandersā backing and the publicās love and trust. He told residents that the militaryās purpose is to enable them to live safely, raise children, work, build and prosper, closing with a commitment to ānever, never againā and wishes for a good and blessed year.
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