IDF chief puts army on highest alert for Sukkot holiday, which coincides with 2nd anniversary of Hamas invasion

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has instructed the military to raise its level of alert to the highest possible amid the Sukkot holiday, the army says.

The week-long festival began on Monday evening and its first full day coincides with the second anniversary of the invasion and massacre on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists slaughtered 1,200 people in southern Israel and abducted 251. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza.

The move comes following an assessment Zamir held earlier today with the IDF’s top brass, the military says.

The October 7 massacre occurred on Simchat Torah, a festive day immediately following Sukkot in the Hebrew calendar, and caught the IDF by surprise. Israel’s political and military leadership had disregarded evidence and intelligence that Hamas was preparing to invade, instead assessing that the terror group governing Gaza was interested in maintaining calm. Troop deployments were particularly low given that October 7, 2023, was both a sabbath and a Jewish festival.

Zamir also instructed that “the defensive effort will be the main effort until the end of the holiday period.”

“We are at constant readiness, prepared across all arenas for defense and offense. We continue our mission to enable all Israeli’s to mark the Sukkot holiday in peace and security,” he says in remarks published by the army.

The IDF has already been on high alert amid the war, especially since the pause in offensive military activity in the Gaza Strip. Jewish holidays are normally seen by the army as sensitive periods with an increased chance of attacks.