IDF raises readiness along Gaza border, while ending civilian restrictions in north
Ramped-up preparedness on Gazan front comes amid talk of possible return to fighting, but not in response to concrete threat near border; no changes to instructions for civilians
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces raised its alert and readiness level along the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said in a statement, while at the same time it ended all remaining restrictions on civilian activity along the northern border with Lebanon.
The increased alertness near Gaza came amid uncertainty over the future of the ongoing ceasefire in the Strip, and the possibility of a return to fighting between Israel and the Hamas terror group there.
There are no changes to guidelines for civilians, the military said, though civil defense squads in the area were put on alert. The IDF noted that it had not identified any effort to approach the border from Gaza.
The change came amid a fresh assessment of the situation in the enclave, as Israeli leadership decides whether to proceed with negotations on the deal’s planned second stage — which would see the return of remaining hostages in exchange for a permanent end to the war — or to resume combat, in the war that began with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
In speeches to graduates of an IDF officers’ course on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz both stressed that Israel is preparing battle plans, should a decision be made to return to combat, and reiterated their commitment both to returning all hostages and to removing Hamas as the governing power in Gaza.
Amid the deliberations, the IDF has altered its deployment of forces in Gaza’s buffer zone and the western Negev, though it has not said that it will send any additional troops for the time being.
Home Front Command ends restrictions in north
Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command said Sunday night it had lifted all remaining restrictions on Israel’s northern frontier communities, which had been imposed during the fighting with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon since October 2023.
The move was approved by Katz following an assessment held by the Home Front Command with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
The Home Front Command has adjusted the public activity scale in northern frontier communities from “partial activity” to “full activity.”
A US-brokered ceasefire agreement in November ended most of the fighting, and last week Israel completed the withdrawal of its ground troops from most of southern Lebanon, with the exception of five strategic points, as the Lebanese military deployed in its place.
The agreement came after more than a year of fighting that began on October 8, 2023, when Iran-backed Hezbollah started attacking Israeli military posts and border communities with rockets and drones in support of Hamas.
Displaced Israeli residents of northern Israel are set to return to their homes beginning March 2.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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