Gaza ceasefire: Israel army chief vows to disarm Hamas

Israel's army chief vowed on Tuesday to keep pursuing the demilitarisation of Gaza and the disarming of Hamas, despite US efforts to advance a fragile ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.

Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir made the comments during a visit to the Gaza Strip, after intermittent Israeli strikes in recent days that the military said targeted militants.

“In Gaza, we are not giving up on the overarching objective -- demilitarising the Gaza Strip and disarming Hamas, using all necessary means,” Zamir said, according to a military statement.

He said Israel would continue to strike Hamas and its leaders and prevent the group from rebuilding. Zamir also said Israel would keep pursuing people who participated in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

A US-backed ceasefire came into effect in October 2025, but bloodshed has continued in Gaza. On Monday, Gazan authorities said Israeli fire killed at least five people, including two children.

The United States has sought in recent weeks to advance the Gaza ceasefire plan. Hamas has endorsed a roadmap published by President Donald Trump's “Board of Peace” under which the group would hand over its weapons to a nascent Palestinian technocratic committee.

Israel has refused to start withdrawing its forces until Hamas is fully disarmed.

Israeli media reported that the army has curbed its operations in Gaza in recent days under US pressure and has only been carrying out strikes to remove imminent threats to its troops or to eliminate people who participated in the October 7 attack.

Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel killed 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Militants also took 251 hostages to Gaza.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed at least 73,431 people, according to the Palestinian territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.