The fifth day of the conflict in Gaza is well underway, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are now beginning to assess the initial phase of the operation. This phase encompassed containment efforts, the elimination of terrorist elements, and the clearance of surrounding villages. Brigadier General Omer Tishler, the Air Force Chief of Staff, engaged with the media this Wednesday morning to shed light on the ongoing situation.
"In this operation, we are unleashing a level of force that the Gaza Strip has never encountered before; it is truly unprecedented," stated Brigadier General Tishler. "We are committed to fundamentally altering the current situation. This is not merely an operation or a routine military engagement; it is a full-blown war. Our adversary has evolved, choosing to launch attacks from within civilian areas. We are determined not to revert to that status quo. Our approach is comprehensive, involving coordination across the sea, land, and air domains. It all begins with intelligence and meticulous planning. We have hundreds of both reserve and regular personnel dedicated to the planning phase."
לא נתרכז במה היה, אנו מתרכזים במה שקורה כאן ועכשיו. אנו לא מבדילים בין יום ללילה - ככה נראית מלחמה".
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 11, 2023
ראש מטה חיל-האוויר, תא״ל עומר טישלר, סוקר את הפעילות המבצעית של חיל-האוויר: https://t.co/p6mpLYdMW5 pic.twitter.com/dU9rP85IhK
"Once the targets are identified, they are handed over to the squadrons responsible for the actual strikes. We don't assess each target in isolation but as part of a sequence. Our missions include targeting senior figures, war rooms, command and control centers, operatives situated both inside and outside civilian structures. We are actively rooting out extensive networks of terrorist infrastructure. We are conducting operations within larger terrorist hubs, swiftly moving and launching aggressive strikes against buildings used by Hamas and its operatives."
Brigadier General Tishler emphasized, "We do not operate like our adversaries on the other side." However, he clarified that "while the Air Force does not deliberately target civilians, we also do not perform surgical strikes. When the enemy is embedded within the civilian population, we cannot provide advance warning. Patience is a virtue in such operations; tomorrow will resemble today. Our relentless machine will continue to operate, strike, and dismantle, all aimed at reshaping the situation from the very foundation. We have no constraints on energy or resources."
"My team and I, along with the entire corps, are committed to defeating the enemy with unwavering determination and patience," asserted Brigadier General Tishler. "Each passing day inflicts heavy losses upon the adversary. My working assumption is that this conflict will persist for some time. The Air Force's defense mechanisms are performing exceptionally well."
עזה תתכונני הבנים והבנות שלנו מגיעים לנקום pic.twitter.com/F4h5Lbc82v
— בז news (@1717Bazz) October 11, 2023
Furthermore, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force acknowledged responsibility for the tragic terrorist attack. "As an army, we should have prevented this act of criminality, yet we failed to do so. Once we understood the gravity of the situation, the entire Air Force readiness soared, and our ground forces engaged fiercely. A combat helicopter was dispatched to a specific location within the Gaza Strip, where it encountered hundreds of terrorists mingled with Israeli citizens. The helicopter crew identified dozens of individuals as hostile combatants, made the difficult decision to engage, and neutralized numerous terrorists. I am aware that it was not enough, and this weighs heavily on us."
