Following the statements from Hamas and US President Donald Trump on the American proposal to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages, the IDF announces that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir met with top generals for “a special situational assessment in light of the developments.”
A statement from the military says that “per the order of the political echelon,” Zamir instructs the Israel Defense Forces to gear up “for the implementation of the first stage of Trump’s plans to free the hostages,” without detailing what the order entails.
The statement also seems to confirm reports that political leaders ordered the IDF to halt its offensive to take over Gaza City and instead focus on defensive operations, stressing that “the security of our forces is of supreme importance and all the IDF’s capabilities will be allocated to Southern Command to defend our forces.”
“The chief of staff emphasized that in light of the operational sensitivity, forces must demonstrate increased readiness and awareness. Likewise, the need for a quick response to remove any threat was clarified,” the statement adds.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
