IDF ordered to halt offensive maneuvers in Gaza City; Palestinians report some continued strikes

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

IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in an image published October 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF troops seen operating in the Gaza Strip in an image published October 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF has been ordered to halt offensive operations in Gaza City amid a push by US President Donald Trump to bring about an end to the war, The Times of Israel has confirmed.

However, the military is still carrying out defensive operations, and the IDF said earlier that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir instructed troops to “remove any threat.”

Palestinian media reports that some strikes are ongoing

Four Palestinians are killed in a strike in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, and artillery shelling was carried out in an area north of Bureij in central Gaza and in the Khan Younis area in the Strip’s south, according to Palestinian media.

The IDF overnight put out a statement saying “per the order of the political echelon,” Zamir instructed troops to gear up “for the implementation of the first stage of Trump’s plans to free the hostages,” without detailing what the order entailed, after meeting with top generals for “a special situational assessment in light of the developments.”

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