It is the IDF chief of staff's duty to present all possible security ramifications ahead of any operation, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement Tuesday evening, alluding to recent reports of discord between him and ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet.
"All the risks and opportunities were presented to the political echelon clearly and professionally. This is my duty, and under this truth, I lead the operation, together with an excellent and experienced line of commanders, to meet all objectives with responsibility and security," he continued.
He then stressed that the IDF operates in accordance with international law, and does "the utmost to mitigate harm to civilians."
"We are acting to defeat a terrorist organization that proclaims from every platform that its objective is to eliminate the very existence of the State of Israel," he added.
A security cabinet meeting at the beginning of September ended with angry exchanges between Netanyahu and his ministers, who want to push ahead with the Gaza City offensive, and Zamir, who has urged the politicians to reach a ceasefire deal.
Zamir said the campaign will endanger hostages and put further strain on the already overstretched army, according to four ministers and two military officials present at the meeting.
This follows similar exchanges between Zamir and Netanyahu's cabinet last month. Netanyahu said on August 20 that he had instructed to speed up the timetable for taking what he describes as Hamas's last bastion.
'Israel committing genocide in Gaza,' UN inquiry concludes
Earlier in the day, a new report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry determined that Israel has not been mitigating harm to civilians and is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The report comes after almost two years of investigation into the actions of Israeli authorities and security forces. The commission itself, however, was established in 2021 to investigate crimes by all parties.
The UN has now concluded that Israel has committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention, including the following: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
Reuters and Mathilda Heller contributed to this article.