IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi took the skies on Sunday in a flight over the Gaza Strip and addressed the troops below.Speaking over the radio with the commander of the Golani Brigade on the ground, Halevi stated, "Tell all your people—you are doing an important job, everyone is behind you, the entire IDF is working for you to advance—until victory!"
Halevi was joined on his flight by the commander of the air force and the commander of the 100th Squadron.
Later on Sunday, Halevi met with municipal leaders from the southern Gaza border area, assuring them that Israel would not return to the same unstable point at the end of the current war because it would defeat Hamas.
He also admitted, "We did not properly prepare for such a scenario" as bad as Hamas's massive October 7 invasion, adding "we failed in our defense of the villages."
Fierce battles continue on ground in Gaza
A large IDF force conducted operations in the Shati refugee camp outside of Gaza City overnight, successfully eliminating terrorists across multiple battles, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced on Sunday morning.
In one of the battles, soldiers from the Givati Brigade identified numerous civilians inside of a building in the area. The IDF troops subsequently secured a corridor so the Gazans could safely evacuate.
During the evacuation, the Givati soldiers came under fire from terrorists. The Israeli troops responded with gun and tank fire, eliminating the Hamas terrorists.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.