The IDF must ensure that the lessons of the October 7 Massacre are not lost amid the ceasefire

When Israel insists on the elimination of Gaza, all violations must be met with immediate action. An early response will shape the future of peace and prevent further Hamas rule.

All living hostages are home. Israel and Hamas, for the most part, do not exchange fire. Stopping fire when it catches.

But silence can be deceiving.

Israel withdrew about 47% of the Gaza strip from what is now known as the yellow line. Already, there have been incidents along this line: the Gazans are getting too close, testing Israel’s reaction, and looking for weakness.

Only a small number of the 28 bodies still held by Hamas have been returned. This, too, seems to be a test – the calculated move was meant to test Israel’s patience, its vigilance and its willingness to implement cease-fire policies.

These early days are important. How Jerusalem responds to this blow will set the tone for what follows – whether this weakness appears calm or swells and leads to more war.

Both Israeli Defense Minister Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. – Gen. Zamir wamir made it clear that Israel will not tolerate violations. Zamir warned: “We will not allow the threats to grow. “Our eyes are open, our fingers are on the machine gun, tank, and fighter plane.”

Katz had the same color: “There will be an immediate reaction to every violation of the agreement. Yesterday, terrorists were reduced as they tried to cross the yellow line – and that will be the case in the future.”

The message could not be clearer: Israel will not, and will not – because of the long wait – turn an innocent eye. Recent history has proven that the early days of quitting set the tone for what’s to come. Every small infraction that goes unnoticed becomes a prelude to the next and the next.

This pattern knows about pain. When Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, it promised “full power with one rock.” That pledge sparked a moment of trial. When Israel fell to its knees in Gaza in 2005, Ariel Sharon then spoke of his response to all the rocket fire. Israel did not follow through on those threats, either.

The result of the failure to follow Hezbollah was just the beginning of Hezbollah after the second war in Lebanon, and because of the failure to make thousands of rockets and turned into a very decorated fortress – in the end – the massacre of October 7.

But Israel learned on October 7, and how the IDF responded to Hezbollah’s violation of the cease-fire agreement that brought the war to the north until November.

Within hours of the completion of that operation, Hezbollah terrorists tried to return to the abandoned villages near the border. Israel responded – not with warning shots, but with targeted shots. Katz ordered a war that the army said was “slow and unreliable,” and the IDF did. That intensity continues to this day, almost a year later.

Now that same method, and the same iron will be used in Gaza. However, creating the conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza – including the destruction of Hamas and the reformation of Gaza – will be more difficult than in Lebanon.

To make things more difficult, under the agreement, in the near future, the Gaza strip will be filled with international forces and advisers – Arab and western – the rules of engagement and the rules of engagement are still being written. When they arrive, Israel will have to act with extreme care to avoid harming foreign workers, even to protect themselves.

Those forces have not yet arrived on the ground – which means that now, before they do, it is time for Israel to set the rules of the game. When the prices are different, all the actions of Israel will be a second guess: Does the Turkish or Jordanian official take the risk? Was he a UAE advisor nearby? All strikes will be investigated.

But in this changing man, Israel still has freedom of action. Now is the time to establish a long-term deterrent – making it clear to Hamas and its offshoots that any violations will be met with swift and decisive force. That window, however, will close soon.

The greatest temptation now will be to preserve the peace at any cost – to stick to it, no matter what. After October 7, Israelis were generally understood, so that life returned to what it was before the war. But the Pre-October 7 Quiet is based on deception, it is one of ignoring the threats that threatened because of the sanctification of peace – the peace that allows prosperity.

In this case, peace should not be an end in itself but something that is protected by force, even at the risk of interference.

Each delay ‘from Hamas is a deliberate demand for an IDF response

That is why the current violation of the yellow law, or the games Hamas is playing with the bodies of the remaining hostages, is very important; It sets the tone. Each penetration, each “accidental” approach by Hamas Fighters, and each delay in the holding bodies returning is a deliberate investigation. The IDF and the Government cannot dismiss them as minor or local misunderstandings.

Hamas watched, gauging Israel’s response, and gauging its next move. The guiding principle must be clear: No violation is an unanswered violation. A quick and visible response to each violation is not an increase; Prevention.

If Israel hesitates now, it will invite months – if not years – of slow erosion. The pattern of Hamas behind all subsequent Idfontrations with the IDF has been the same: test, adapt, rebuild. Israel cannot allow that process to start again. Both Zamir and Katz promised that Israel would not let this happen again. It is important that they understand.

One of the most painful facts of October 7 was not only that Israel was completely caught, but that it saw Hamas knowing that they do not know the right balance and do not do it.

The lesson, therefore, is never surprising again; It also ignores early signs.

On October 7 he taught Israel that the cost of ignoring danger is much higher than the cost of dealing with it early. The IDF’s Mission now is to ensure that this lesson is not lost in calm – that it remains in the borders of Israel during the current fire: firmly, and both are ready to respond with force to all agreements and violations of the agreement.