Senior IDF Official: It's a Mistake to Stop the Fighting in Gaza

The IDF reports a change in the food distribution situation in the Gaza Strip, in light of lessons learned from Hamas's previous takeover of aid. According to current data, during the last 34 days, four distribution centers were established, most of them in the south of the Strip, where more than 50 million food portions were distributed. As a result, the price of flour in the Strip is the lowest since the beginning of the war.

"The great difficulty is Hamas's friction with the population," military sources note. This friction is expressed in constant threats against residents, aimed at preventing them from reaching the distribution centers and endangering their lives.

Food Looting and Kidnapping of Aid Workers: Challenges Facing the Civilian Population

Regarding food looting, the IDF clarifies that most of the food, especially in the north of the Strip, is being looted by local clans and does not reach Hamas – a significant fact that indicates the organization's lack of absolute control over the aid.

Additionally, the military notes that in certain cases, in order to maintain order and prevent Hamas from taking over the food, IDF forces are compelled to open live fire. These cases have led to casualties among a small number of people, but do not match the quantities that Hamas publishes.

Hamas, for its part, tries to harm aid workers in every way. Cases have been reported where the organization kidnapped people in a minibus, murdered some of them and tortured the rest – events that are part of the daily struggle of civilian society in the Strip.

Operation "Chariots of Gideon" Continues: "There's Still a Short Period of Time"

A senior IDF official emphasized that it is incorrect to stop Operation "Chariots of Gideon" now. According to him, the IDF has "another short period of time" in which it has work to do in the Strip, which hints at the continuation of operational activity despite the humanitarian challenges.