IDF declares ‘victory’ in Gaza war, says ‘will continue to...’

Ahead of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, which will begin on Monday (October 13), the chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), Gen. Eyal Zamir, declared Israel's "victory" over Hamas. He said that the military pressure exerted on Hamas in the past two years, alongside a “complementary diplomatic move,” has brought about “victory” over the Palestinian terror group.

“We will continue to act to shape a security reality that will ensure that no threat to the State of Israel and its citizens will loom from the Gaza Strip,” Zamir said. “With the return of the hostages, we are fulfilling one of the important goals for which we went to war, an objective that is a national, moral, and Jewish commitment,” he added.

“We acted with precision and professionalism, systematically and responsibly. We made complex decisions in order not to endanger the hostages’ safety and to significantly reduce casualties among our forces,” Zamir further said.

Not all hostages to be released on Monday?

Amid the arrangements for the first phase of the Gaza peace deal under which all hostages will be released, some of the families of the killed hostages have been reported informed that the remains of their loved ones might not be returned tomorrow, ie. Monday (October 13). Officials have estimated that not all the remains will be easy to find in Gaza, and that locating all of them may take time.

Complex obstacles' preventing release of full prisoner list

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office said that “complex obstacles” are currently preventing the announcement of the full list of prisoners to be released under the ceasefire agreement.

“Complex obstacles still prevent the official announcement of the lists of released prisoners as part of the exchange deal, including prisoners from Gaza,” the office said. “We also affirm that efforts are being made around the clock to overcome these obstacles and complete the necessary procedures,” the office said.