IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said in his speech at a graduation ceremony at the National Security College that "conditions have been created" to advance a hostage deal. "During Operation 'Gideon's Chariots' we severely damaged Hamas' governmental and military capabilities - and thanks to the operational strength we demonstrated, conditions have been created to advance a deal," he said. At the same time, Zamir criticized "voices trying to weaken" the IDF: "The attacks and accusations against the morality of our actions are despicable. We operate solely based on professional and substantive considerations regarding the war objectives and in accordance with the political leadership's directives."