Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin-October 10, 2025

Today at 12:00 noon, a ceasefire came into effect after two years of operations in the Gaza Strip. With the deployment of our troops on the agreed readiness lines, the 72-hour period has begun, during which the hostages will be returned.

Last night the government approved the agreement for the return of our forty-eight hostages. Our brothers and sisters held in Hamas captivity, the living and the fallen, to their families, to their home and to their country.

We led the military operation responsibly and systematically, and above all, with determination and with deep love for the people and the land, as demonstrated  by our troops.

This operation produced unprecedented achievements across all sectors and enabled the return of hostages.

This is an emotional moment for the people of Israel and for the soldiers and troops of the IDF who fought and acted over the past two years with courage, bravery and dedication.

At this time our troops under Southern Command have deployed to the agreed readiness lines, in accordance with this “yellow line”, these readiness lines provide forward operational defense and control along the Gaza Strip.

These are moments of heightened alert; IDF soldiers will act to remove any threat to their security, no unnecessary risks will be taken.

We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and security of the Southern Negev communities, the south of the country and the State of Israel as a whole.

From here, I call to Gaza residents: avoid entering areas under IDF operational control, honor the agreement and ensure your own safety.

Our troops’ deployment line is a forward defense line. The IDF will defend our citizens and our country against any threat.

On the morning of Simchat Torah two years ago, on October 7th, the most important bond between the IDF and the citizens of Israel was shattered. We were not there for Israeli citizens in their hour of need.

Since then, led by Southern Command together with all branches and directorates of the IDF, we have not ceased fighting for a moment, and so it shall always be. A brave generation of Israel’s heroes stands firm as a buffer between Israeli citizens and any enemy.

The mendatory service soldiers, the career soldiers and the reservists, they are the generation of victory. We are proud that these are our sons and daughters and that these are our commanders.

In recent days we have been preparing to receive the returning hostages with the necessary sensitivity, responsibility and with great anticipation. At this moment, the entire IDF is preparing to receive the hostages.

We continue to accompany the hostages’ families and remain in close contact with them. This morning we sorrowfully announced the death of Sergeant First Class (Res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani, of blessed memory, from the Combat Engineering 614th Battalion, who fell yesterday in the Gaza Strip. We share the family’s grief in these difficult hours. I ask to extent our collective embrace to the bereaved families.

More than ever today we remember the 914 IDF fallen who fell in operations, who fought with great bravery and sacrifice, and the hundreds of civilians and security personnel who gave their lives. We remember today the 20,000 wounded in operations, both physically and mentally, who were injured defending the State and who lost comrades along the way. We must be there for them, to hold them and to assist them in every way.

The return of the hostages is due to that very bravery and was at the forefront of the minds of each of these soldiers throughout the war.

Families of reservists, of career soldiers and of the mandatory troops, none of this would have been possible without you and your support; we are aware of your sacrifice and appreciate it now as well.

As the Chief of the General Staff said: the operation is not over. Many complex challenges still lie ahead. We are prepared and determined to defend the State of Israel and its citizens on all fronts.

In the coming days we will begin to see the sacred mission of returning the hostages take effect. We will not rest until the mission is fully complete and until they all return.