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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjbdlummxe
IDF Pressure on Hamas "Is Having a Significant Effect"
(Ynet News) Matan Tzuri - IDF Gaza Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram met on Monday with residents of Kibbutz Nirim adjacent to the Gaza border. To improve readiness, Hiram said the IDF has significantly expanded local response teams, upgraded weapons and equipment, and increased training frequency. "I don't expect residents to be the main response to terrorists, but part of the security buffer we're building includes a last line of defense based on the community, the location, and the immediate ability of residents to react and repel attacks until IDF forces arrive. The goal is to prevent another catastrophe." Addressing the ongoing war in Gaza, Hiram said, "Without returning the hostages and eliminating the threat beyond our border, Israel cannot recover - not just the western Negev, but the nation as a whole....We see that the pressure we're applying - both directly on Hamas's military arm and on its governing structures, as well as the indirect pressure on the population - is having a significant effect. It's pushing them into positions they previously wouldn't even consider, both in terms of returning the hostages and in their grip on Gaza." Hiram noted that the IDF has secured the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border. "We inspected every segment and can now say with certainty there are no remaining tunnels crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Everything we found has been destroyed. I can also say with high confidence that there's no one left to dig - especially after the population was completely cleared from the area. We now have the capability to detect if digging begins and where."