Israel’s chief of staff reviews ongoing hostage situation

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, conducted a detailed assessment of the ongoing hostage situation with members of the General Staff Forum at the operational centre for hostages and missing persons, the army’s press service reported.

Speaking after the meeting, LTG Zamir emphasised the continued priority of the mission: "The mission is still ongoing, and it is our national and moral duty to operate until all the hostages are home."

The assessment included key senior military leaders, including MG (Res.) Nitzan Alon, Commander of the Hostage and Missing Persons Headquarters; MG Itzik Cohen, Head of the Operations Directorate; MG Shlomi Binder, Head of the Intelligence Directorate; MG Yaniv Asor, Commander of the Southern Command; MG Avi Bluth, Commander of the Central Command; and the Deputy Head of the ISA.

"The Chief of the General Staff expressed his appreciation to all IDF units for their thorough preparations and emphasized the importance of maintaining a high level of readiness and alertness," the IDF statement reads.

Earlier reports confirmed that Hamas had handed over seven Israeli hostages to the Red Cross, highlighting a critical step in ongoing efforts to secure the safe return of all captives.

By Vugar Khalilov