JERUSALEM/GAZA - Israel decided on Monday to lift the "special situation" in its south for the first time since October 2023.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that he has accepted the military's recommendation to end the "special situation," which will be lifted on Tuesday morning.
Katz said the move "reflects the new security reality in the south of the country that has been achieved."
"Alongside the return of all hostages, we are fully committed to achieving all the defined war objectives -- first and foremost the dismantling of Hamas's weapons and the demilitarization of Gaza," he added.
A "special situation" on the home front is declared in Israel when there is a high likelihood of attacks on civilians. The measure had remained in force in areas bordering Gaza since Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
According to data released by Gaza-based health authorities on Monday, Israel's subsequent offensive after the Hamas-led attack has left 68,527 dead and 170,395 wounded in Gaza. Meanwhile, 93 people have been killed and 337 injured in the enclave since the new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on Oct 10.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not seek permission to launch strikes in Gaza, among other places, even after agreeing to ceasefire arrangements.
"Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves with our own forces, and we will continue to control our destiny," Netanyahu said.
Hostage's body
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said on Monday it had found the body of an Israeli hostage in eastern Gaza and was preparing to hand it over.
A senior Al-Qassam source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the body was discovered during searches for hostages' remains in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. The group is coordinating with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to arrange the handover, the source added.
Israel has accused Hamas of delaying the return of the hostages' remains. Meanwhile, Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas in Gaza, said efforts to locate other bodies had been hindered because "Israel has changed the landscape of Gaza during the war."
"Some of those who buried the bodies were killed or no longer remember the burial sites," he said.
Al-Hayya said Palestinian factions and Al-Qassam members were continuing searches "day and night," and that a joint operations room in Cairo, involving mediators and an Israeli team, was monitoring developments.
Since Oct 10, Hamas has released 20 Israeli hostages alive and handed over 15 bodies, while Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned the remains of 195 Palestinians to their families, according to official Palestinian sources.
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Meanwhile, Israel on Monday night received the body of an unidentified hostage who had been held by Hamas in Gaza, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
Hamas handed the coffin to the ICRC in Gaza, which then transferred it to the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency inside the enclave.
The coffin will be taken to the National Center of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv, the office said. "Once the identification process is complete, an official notification will be delivered to the family," it added.
A Hamas source said the body was recovered earlier in the day from the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City.
It was the latest exchange of captives and bodies under a ceasefire that took effect 11 days ago, under which Hamas released all 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel freed about 2,000 Palestinian detainees.
Israel estimates that the bodies of 28 hostages remain in Gaza, some killed before being taken, and others who died in captivity. Hamas had previously returned 15 bodies.
