The IDF is making strategic changes to their deployment in the Gaza Strip in anticipation of a prolonged conflict with Hamas that will stretch throughout 2024, according to IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. “We are adjusting the fighting methods to each area in Gaza, as well as the necessary forces to carry out the mission in the best way possible. Each area has different characteristics and different operational needs,” Hagari said, emphasizing the tailored approach the IDF is taking for each sector in Gaza. With the new year approaching, Hagari underscored the need for long-term military preparedness. “Tonight, 2024 will begin. The goals of the war require lengthy fighting, and we are prepared accordingly,” he said. The IDF is also focusing on “smart” management of its forces. Hagari mentioned that reservists would be allowed to return home to support the economy and recuperate, while standing army troops would continue their training to become commanders. “We are continuing the training of officers and commanders… after their experience in combat, they are returning to training and will join the army’s line of commanders when they finish,” he explained. This temporary return of reservists is also viewed as a strategy to bolster the economy and prepare for future operations. “It will result in considerable relief for the economy, and will allow them to gain strength for operations next year, and the fighting will continue and we will need them,” Hagari added. Hagari addressed recent successes in Gaza, noting that IDF troops had neutralized members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force in Khan Younis, some of whom were involved in the October 7 massacres. Regarding the coordination between ground and air forces, he said, “There isn’t one case where ground forces did not receive support from the air or extraction under fire.” This statement comes in response to claims by some ministers regarding insufficient air support for ground troops. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)