IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited a large-scale command training exercise of the Gaza Division with additional commanders. He said that "in the past week, we have strengthened defenses and reinforced forces across all fronts, and we are at a high level of alert and readiness. Our enemies have suffered very severe blows, but they continue to plan operations against us. We are operating across all combat sectors with a concept of forward defense and terror prevention. We are not waiting for threats but acting proactively to remove them." He added: "Our goal is to enable democratic elections without external influence."