Fighting in the Gaza Strip effectively came to a halt overnight between Friday and Saturday, at the order of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ground maneuver in Gaza City has been stopped, and there will be no offensive operations against Hamas.
As in previous cease-fires in November 2023 and January–February of this year, Israeli forces are now focused solely on defensive activity until further notice.
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Eyal Zamir, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Yoav Zitun, IDF, Alex Kolomoisky, Alex Brandon/ AP)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened a special situation assessment “in light of recent developments,” hours after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Israel cease its attacks. Trump’s call came after Hamas responded to his peace plan, announcing that it agreed to release all hostages according to the proposal but rejected other clauses, particularly those requiring it to disarm, and requested negotiations over details.
In an unusual statement, the IDF spokesperson confirmed that Zamir held the late-night assessment, which included the deputy chief of staff, heads of the Operations, Intelligence, and Planning directorates, the commander of the Southern Command, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, and the air force chief.
According to the IDF, “In accordance with the directives of the political echelon, the chief of staff instructed the military to prepare for implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan for the release of hostages.”
The statement added that “the safety of our forces remains a top priority and all IDF capabilities will be allocated to the Southern Command for defensive purposes.” Zamir emphasized the operational sensitivity of the current situation, urging all troops to maintain high alertness and readiness to respond rapidly to any threat.