As new Gaza commander comes in, IDF says its finger is on the trigger

Southern Command chief: ‘We do not pursue war, nor do we fear it’; outgoing division chief heads to Ground Forces

By Judah Ari Gross 20 May 2016, 1:58 pm

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Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

Incoming head of the IDF Gaza Division Yehuda Fuchs (left) shakes hands with Southern Command chief Eyal Zamir (center) during a ceremony marking the exit of Brig. Gen. Itay Virov (right), from the position, at the division's base near the Gaza border, May 19, 2016. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Israel is not pushing for another war in Gaza, but the army is prepared for it, the IDF’s Southern Command chief warned during a ceremony for the incoming head of the Gaza Division.

“We are not desirous of war, but we do not fear its coming,” Eyal Zamir said. “The plans are ready, the cannons of the tanks are greased.”

At the unit’s headquarters near the southern border, Zamir bade farewell to the outgoing commander Brig. Gen. Itay Virov and welcomed Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs into his new position as head of the Gaza Division, which is responsible for operations inside Gaza as well as the security of Israel’s border with the coastal enclave.

“I hope the quiet will be preserved and maintained through strength for as long as possible, by both sides, to improve civil and economic development, as well as for the welfare of the populations on both sides of the border,” Zamir said.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (left), IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (center) and GOC Southern Command Eyal Zamir (right) meet at the Southern Command headquarters near the Israeli border with Gaza on May 5, 2016. (Ariel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense) — Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (left), IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (center) and GOC Southern Command Eyal Zamir (right) meet at the division’s headquarters near the Israeli border with Gaza, on May 5, 2016. (Ariel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense)

Saying farewell to Virov, who took over the position soon after the 2014 Gaza war, Zamir told the crowd: “Itay, an attack-oriented officer, shows initiative, but also knows restraint and moderation in the use of force.”

Virov will transfer to the Ground Forces command of the Israel Defense Forces and will move up in rank from brigadier general to major general.

Fuchs, who previously served as chief infantry officer and head of the Nahal infantry brigade, recognized the difficulties of leading the volatile Gaza Division, but said he was up to the task.

“I commit to defend the country’s border and to allow a good life for all those who value life,” Fuchs said. “I am receiving a division that is strong, trained, well-exercised and skilled — a prepared division.”

Entrance to a Hamas terror tunnel discovered by the IDF running under the Gaza border into Israel on May 5, 2016. (IDF Spokesperson's Unit) — Entrance to a Hamas terror tunnel discovered by the IDF running under the Gaza border into Israel, on May 5, 2016. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

Though the situation is decidedly tense, the two years since the 2014 war have been the calmest along the Gaza border in over a decade.

Earlier this month, the IDF uncovered an attack tunnel dug by Hamas inside Israeli territory. This was the second such tunnel found since the end of the Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge.

The discovery of the second tunnel sparked small-scale clashes with Hamas, who fired mortars at the Israeli troops stationed on the southern border with the Gaza Strip. A few IDF engineering vehicles were damaged in the attacks, but no Israeli soldiers were injured.

However, a Palestinian woman was killed and a number of others were injured in a retaliatory Israeli tank strike.