According to a report by Nitzan Shapira (N12), the IDF has tightened its policy for targeted strikes in Gaza, requiring personal approval from the Chief of Staff for any such operation.
N12's Nitzan Shapira confirmed Tuesday evening that the IDF has tightened its policy for targeted strikes in Gaza, requiring personal approval from the Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, for any such operation. The report follows The Zioneer's earlier coverage (Tue 18:52 Jerusalem) of the political echelon's directive centralizing fire authority. The new policy restricts field commanders to engaging only immediate threats, effectively stripping division and regional commanders of the independent authority they previously held to authorize targeted eliminations.
The development follows a series of reports on Monday (Aug 3, 16:47 Jerusalem) that first revealed the tightening. Army Radio (N13) was the first to report that the political echelon had decided to tighten the strike policy, with the IDF spokesperson referring inquiries to the political echelon. i24NEWS then reported in an exclusive that the directive requires political echelon approval for targeted strikes. Later, Amit Segal reported that forces must obtain Chief of Staff approval for non-immediate strikes. The Zioneer's own reporting at 18:52 today noted that the new policy has already led to a sharp decrease in kinetic activity, with only one targeted strike reported in the last 48 hours.
The policy change mirrors similar restrictions imposed on IDF operations in southern Lebanon earlier this year, as The Zioneer reported on June 20. Those restrictions also required Chief of Staff approval for strikes, reducing Israeli operations in southern Lebanon to nearly zero. The current centralization in Gaza has sparked debate among commentators, with some arguing it could slow counter-terror responses amid ongoing negotiations.
The IDF spokesperson has not yet officially commented on the new policy, and its duration remains unclear. The political echelon has also not issued a formal statement.
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