IDF chief: We transformed tragedy of Oct. 7 to victory

The Israel Defense Forces are preparing to receive the remaining hostages from the Hamas terror group in “Operation Returning Home,” IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced in a national address, on Sunday.

“On the day of the hostages’ return, we will convene for a day of national unity; this is a time to strengthen and renew our value of camaraderie, as an army, and as a united Israeli society,” Zamir said.

“We will rejoice at the sight of our living hostages returning to their families and we will mourn the return of those who were murdered, among them our heroic soldiers who fell in battle,” he added.

Zamir said the IDF has completed its redeployment in the Gaza Strip and is “at full readiness” to respond to any renewed aggression.

“We went out to defend on Oct. 7 from a shattering failure that will be engraved in the memory of every Israeli soldier and commander,” he said, noting that the army has transformed that day of “fracture” from tragedy to victory.

“The generation of victory has risen, which turned the day of inferno into a turning point,” he said.

The chief of staff emphasized that the military and diplomatic pressure applied over the past two years defeated Hamas. He assured that the IDF would continue to act to ensure that the Gaza Strip would never again pose a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians.

“With the return of the hostages, we will have achieved one of the important objectives for which we went to war—an objective that is a national, moral and Jewish commitment,” Zamir said.

He said Israel remains in a multi-front struggle to secure its long-term future: “Through our operations, we are reshaping the Middle East and our security strategy for the years ahead.”

Zamir paid tribute to the 915 IDF soldiers who fell during the war and to those physically and emotionally wounded. Israel will not forget their sacrifice, he said, saluting soldiers, commanders and their families as “the heroic generation of the war.”