△ Gaza Strip (Archive Photo)
On July 16th, local time, General of the Israeli Defense Forces, Zalmay, while assessing the situation in the Gaza Strip, stated that:
The Israeli military currently controls 75% of the land in the Gaza Strip. The army will continue to carry out strike operations against the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), aiming to completely defeat the organization.
Zalmay mentioned that the current situation is approaching a critical juncture, and the next few days will reveal whether a ceasefire and personnel exchange agreement can be reached in Gaza. If an agreement is reached, the Israeli military will pause its military operations and prepare for deployment according to the politically set path;
If the agreement cannot be reached, the Israeli military will “strive to intensify and expand the scale of combat, surpassing the current level of action.”
He also noted that recently, the Israeli military has killed over 1,300 Palestinian armed individuals, including some who were participants in attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.