The Israel Defense Forces' Gaza Division wrapped up a four-day military exercise aimed at bolstering preparedness for a future war with the terrorist enclave that would include fighting on multiple fronts.
The drill, which took place in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon and near the border with the Gaza Strip and began on Sunday, was the largest such exercise since 2014's Operation Protective Edge. It included attack helicopters, combat troops, as well as new forms of weaponry for combat inside attack tunnels.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi made the decision to hold the exercise when he entered the position in January following growing concerns, including from former IDF Ombudsman Yitzhak Brik, that the military was not sufficiently prepared for a conflict.
The IDF forces also practiced evacuating a Palestinian population from places where the military would operate through the use of humanitarian corridors as part of the drill.
The assessment is that in the event of a conflict, the IDF would seek to deliver a strong blow to the terrorist organizations in Gaza, and not to conquer the territory or topple the Hamas regime.
