IDF chief says military ‘will not rest’ until all hostages returned

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a military ceremony, October 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a military ceremony, October 15, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military “will not rest until we return all [of the hostages]. This is our moral, national and Jewish duty.”

Hamas is still holding the bodies of 21 dead hostages, after returning seven in the past two days.

“In coordination with the political echelon, we will insist and stand firm on upholding all the agreements,” Zamir says at a handover ceremony for the chief of the Northern Corps.

At the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Yaki Dolf takes over the Northern Corps, a mostly dormant unit, from Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus, who now heads the shadowy Depth Corps.

Dolf was also tapped by Zamir to head a new military headquarters that will liaise between the IDF and the US-led international monitoring mechanism overseeing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

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