Though Israel is not pushing for another war in Gaza, the army is prepared for it, head of the IDF’s Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir says during a ceremony for the incoming head of the Gaza Division at the unit’s headquarters near the southern border
“We are not desirous of war, but we do not fear its coming,” Zamir says, using particularly high-brow Hebrew. “The plans are ready, the cannons of the tanks are greased.”
At the ceremony marking the exit of Brig. Gen. Itay Virov and entrance of Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, Zamir tells the crowd: “Itay, an attack-oriented officer, shows initiative, but also knows restraint and moderation in the use of force.”
Fuchs, who previously served as chief infantry officer and head of the Nahal Infantry Brigade, says he accepted the responsibility of leading the precarious and volatile Gaza Division.
“I commit to defend the country’s border and to allow a good life for all those who value life,” Fuchs says.
“I am receiving a division that is strong, trained, well-exercised and skilled — a prepared division,” he adds.
From leading the Gaza Division, Virov will move to the army’s Ground Forces Command and go up in rank to major general.
— Judah Ari Gross
Incoming head of the Gaza Division Brig. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, left, shakes hands with Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir during a ceremony marking the exit of Brig. Gen. Itay Virov, right, from the position, at the division’s base near the Gaza border on May 19, 2016. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
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