Posted on 10/05/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke today (Sunday) at the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Yom Kippur War and addressed US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war and secure the release of all hostages.
“Just as in the Yom Kippur War, so too today: we knew how to rise and recover against those who sought to annihilate us, then as now,” Katz said. “We owe so much to those who stood, and stand, on the front — on land, at sea and in the air — prepared to pay the heaviest price of all.”
Katz added that Israel may soon be informed of the return home of all the hostages. “About two years after the black Shabbat on Simchat Torah, we may soon be informed of the return home of all our hostages, the living and the fallen alike, according to the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, which would see Hamas disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized, with the IDF remaining in controlling zones to protect the communities and act against any threat.”
He said the reason for the shift in Hamas’s stance is the strength of the pressure Israel is exerting on the city of Gaza. “The reason for the possible reversal in Hamas’s position is the strength of the pressure Israel is applying on the city of Gaza.”
Katz added that “the decision to seize Gaza, the collapse of multi‑story buildings and the scale of the IDF’s maneuvering in the city of Gaza — led by our heroic soldiers — have resulted in the evacuation of some 900,000 Gaza residents to the south, and have placed immense pressure on Hamas and the states that support it, which feared its collapse. This created the basis for President Trump’s decisive initiative, which assembled a broad coalition to support his plan that aligns with Israel’s war aims. We now expect implementation of the first stage in the near term and the immediate release of all hostages.”
Katz noted that the IDF is inside Gaza City and prepared for any scenario: “The IDF is in the heart of Gaza City and is prepared for every possibility. If Hamas refuses to release the hostages, the IDF will once again intensify its firepower until Hamas is defeated and all the hostages are freed.”
The minister concluded with words of appreciation for the soldiers and commanders: “The soldiers and commanders of the IDF are those who enable the State of Israel to change the strategic reality, to decide the various arenas and to create a diplomatic horizon for change across the region.”