An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman stated on October 10th, 2025, that the military "cannot live with Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip" and "will be able to return to fight Hamas" if negotiations fail, according to an IDF statement. This comes as President Donald Trump provided a personal guarantee to Hamas through Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey that he would prevent Israel from abandoning a potential peace agreement and resuming hostilities, as reported by Axios. During the reporting window from 11:35 AM to 12:35 PM UTC on October 10th, 2025, the IDF spokesman affirmed that "the target of the kidnappers will achieve in the coming days." The spokesman also noted that Hamas's military and governing capabilities have been seriously impacted, stating, "We hit Hamas very seriously, we knew it military and government." The IDF's position highlights a conditional approach to the current ceasefire, emphasizing that a return to conflict is a possibility if diplomatic efforts do not yield the desired outcomes. In related developments within the past hour, an unexploded explosive robot was located in the Al-Sabra neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area, according to a report from الناشط Øمزة المصري. Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump is scheduled to appear at 6:00 PM UTC today, as noted by Barak Betesh. The IDF's preparedness to re-engage in combat follows a period of repositioning declared effective at 12:00 PM UTC on October 10th, 2025, which coincided with the commencement of a 72-hour period for hostage release. This repositioning involved IDF troops along updated deployment lines, with CentCom confirming the completion of the first phase of retreat along the yellow line at noon local time. The previous report indicated that the IDF had completed withdrawals from Gaza City by 7:00 AM UTC, with an urgent Israeli government telephone referendum on a prisoner exchange deal set for 12:00 PM UTC today. Israel was expected to release a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners as part of the transaction, though certain prominent figures were reportedly not included on the list.
