Officers in the Gaza Division warned: "We have returned to October 6th," the division commander explained: "We are under pressure"
During a closed event, IDF officers expressed deep frustration with the policy in the Gaza Strip, describing threats that remain unaddressed. The Gaza Division commander alluded to Jared Kushner's visit to Israel and admitted: "There is external pressure on the IDF."
At a closed event of the Gaza Division the night before last, officers warned against a return to October 6th. The commander of the Gaza Division, Brigadier General Liron Betito, admitted to them: we are operating under pressures and constraints, as we reported this evening (Wednesday) on the main news broadcast.
Officers in the division expressed deep frustration with the IDF's policy in the Strip regarding various threats. They described what the observers reported on the main news broadcast last month — how they see terrorists practicing invasions or armed men near the fence without being engaged. The frustrated officers warned: we have returned to October 6th.
Brigadier General Liron Betito explained to them:
"In some of the cases you describe, we received an order not to act; there was a visit by a senior official in Israel. We reached a bend in the road and hit the brakes. This is an example of the external pressures on the IDF. We are constantly operating under constraints."
Division Commander Betito, who described the external pressures exerted on Israel and spoke of a visit by a senior official, was referring to the visit of Trump's envoy Jared Kushner in the middle of last month. In essence, Betito claims that the IDF is not free to act due to political limitations. Military sources claim and emphasize that there is no change in the open-fire policy in the Gaza Strip and that, in total, it was a normative discussion between a commander and his soldiers. In recent days, extensive IDF activity can also be seen in Gaza.
The observers' testimony: our hands are tied
Last month, we brought the testimony of the observers who are warning about the IDF's policy in Gaza on the main news broadcast. They said that they identify suspects and Hamas terrorists daily who reach the yellow line and pose a threat, but the forces on the ground do not receive authorization to neutralize them. They explained that Hamas is exploiting the new reality and testing the army's responses in a way that resembles the period leading up to October 7th.
"I feel like it's October 6th," said one of the observers. "The only difference is that we identify it at the yellow line and not at the fence. The Gazans are not stupid; in the end, they are constantly testing us and seeing if we respond or not. It's just like before October 7th."
