News - Herzi Halevi: Israel army ground offensive has been delayed for strategic considerations

Herzi Halevi,  Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said that Hamas "regretted" starting a war against Israel and admitted that the Israeli army's ground offensive was being delayed for "strategic considerations." "Israel is in the midst of a war waged by the terrorist group Hamas; it [Hamas] already regrets it," Halevi said at a press conference near the border with Gaza. "We have prepared for it. The IDF and the Southern Command have prepared quality offensive plans to achieve their war objectives. The IDF is ready for a [ground] maneuver, and together with the political echelon, we will decide the form and timeframe of the next phase," Halevi added. He said the delay in the Israeli military’s ground attack was due to "tactical and even strategic considerations," but it enabled the IDF to be better prepared. "We use every minute to be more prepared. And every minute that passes from the other side, we inflict even more blows on the enemy," he said. "We kill terrorists, destroy infrastructure, collect more intelligence data for the next phase," Halevi emphasized.