Overnight between Friday and Saturday, Israel’s combat operations in the Gaza Strip came to a standstill following an order from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ground maneuver in Gaza City has been suspended, and no further offensive actions against Hamas are currently planned, News.Az reports, citing Israeli media.
As in previous cease-fires in November 2023 and January–February of this year, Israeli forces are now focused solely on defensive activity until further notice.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened a special situation assessment “in light of recent developments,” hours after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Israel cease its attacks. Trump’s call came after Hamas responded to his peace plan, announcing that it agreed to release all hostages according to the proposal but rejected other clauses, particularly those requiring it to disarm, and requested negotiations over details.
In an unusual statement, the IDF spokesperson confirmed that Zamir held the late-night assessment, which included the deputy chief of staff, heads of the Operations, Intelligence, and Planning directorates, the commander of the Southern Command, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, and the air force chief.