šÆ Northern Gaza: The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said an overnight airstrike eliminated Ahmad Batash, commander of the Jabaliya Battalion in the Northern Gaza Brigade of Hamasās military wing. The strike hit a car north of Gaza City. A āmartyr posterā circulated by Gazan media also identified him as the battalion commander.
According to the military, Batash managed and organized the brigadeās weapons and coordinated supplies of weapons and military equipment to Hamas operatives. It said he recently advanced attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians and worked to restore Hamasās capabilities, āin systematic violation of the ceasefire.ā
The military described him as an immediate threat. āThe terrorist was eliminated to remove the threat he posed,ā it said.
š®š± Accountability and public trust: Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor addressed division and brigade commanders, western Negev local authority heads, and other commanders at a ceremony ahead of the Hebrew New Year at the Eshkol Regional Council on Tuesday, September 15.
Recalling the Simchat Torah attack at 06:29 almost three years ago, he acknowledged the scale of the disaster, residentsā shattered trust in the military, and the severe damage to Israelisā personal security. He said the military had regrouped and fought with a shared sense of fate and purpose in a war unlike any it had known.
āIn the face of false claims, we will present facts; we will answer difficult questions honestly. And when a failure comes to light within our ranks, we will examine it, learn, and correct it,ā Asor said.
He described scrutiny of the militaryās conduct as an obligation rooted in the justness of Israelās cause, rather than a claim of perfection. Invoking Altermanās poem āThen Satan Said,ā he accused those slandering Israel of seeking to damage its international reputation, sow internal doubt, and undermine cohesion.
š”ļø Civilian protection and Hamasās conduct: Asor described the war as harsh, painful, and cruel, requiring sustained resolve despite its heavy costs. He framed it as a struggle against darkness and evil and a defense of a democratic, moral stateās right to defeat a terrorist organization seeking its destruction.
He said Hamas emerged from within Gazaās population and what he described as a radical, murderous Islamist culture. He characterized the population as supportive of Hamas while acknowledging that some residents oppose the organization but cannot influence conditions.
Asor said Israeli forces insist on distinguishing between the enemy and 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 when civilians are harmed and when their presence deters Israeli strikes against its operatives.
š Gaza defensive line and border communities: Asor said Israeli forces are defending border communities from inside Gaza, have established a new defensive line, and are operating around the Yellow Line to push threats farther away, thwart terrorists and terrorist infrastructure, and prevent Hamas from rebuilding its capabilities.
He said forces had struck tunnels, weapons, and production infrastructure and would continue pursuing threats to Israeli citizens. He urged commanders to lead with courage, dedication, and commitment to IDF values and Jewish morality until victory, assuring them of their commandersā backing and the publicās love and trust.
Addressing local leaders and residents, Asor said the militaryās purpose is to enable them to live safely, raise children, work, build, and prosper. He closed with a commitment to ānever, never againā and wishes for a good and blessed year.
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