Israel lifts state of emergency in southern Israel for first time since Oct 7, 2023

For the first time since the Hamas terror group started the war with its invasion and massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared the end of the state of emergency in the area.

The state of emergency, or “special situation” in Hebrew, allows the IDF Home Front Command to restrict gatherings and close areas to public access.

The nationwide “special situation” was declared on Oct. 7 but has since been lifted everywhere except for the Gaza Envelope area.

It will expire on Tuesday, Oct. 28, marking the first time that the entire nation of Israel will return to regular, non-war status.

“I have decided to adopt the IDF’s recommendation and, for the first time since October 7, remove the special emergency status on the home front. The decision reflects the new security reality in the south of the country, achieved thanks to the determined and powerful actions over the past two years by our heroic fighters against the terrorist organization Hamas,” Katz announced.

“Alongside the return of all the fallen and the abductees, we are fully committed to achieving all the defined war objectives – chief among them the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.”

“We will continue to act with strength and responsibility to safeguard the security of Israeli civilians across all its borders,” Katz added.

While the government hasn’t yet officially declared the “War of Redemption” to be over, the military is taking steps toward the conclusion of active fighting and reorienting itself toward future threats.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir convened an operational forum dubbed “Facing Forward,” which the military described as a conference to conclude the current phase of the war. However, Maariv reported that its purpose was to sum up the two years of intensive fighting in Gaza and across the fronts.

The forum included all military commanders of field units from the rank of lieutenant-colonel and above, as well as the IDF’s Senior Command.

The military stated that this was the first time that the forum had convened since Zamir took office as IDF chief. Discussions were also said to focus on strengthening the army’s organizational foundations and routines.

The conference included a discussion with Defense Minister Katz, who was presented with operational and intelligence data for all combat arenas, as well as a panel with released hostages and bereaved families.

The military also introduced an internal differentiation among its units, keeping the Gaza front and the Air Force in a wartime posture, while other fronts will be adjusted individually, according to their threat levels.

Units and fronts facing a lower threat will be able to initiate force-building and structural adjustments without further delay.

Another indication that the political echelon is eyeing an official end to the war came last week, when the chief of staff – after consulting with the defense minister – announced the establishment of commendation committees to award soldiers for acts of valor during the fighting.