What Does Israel’s Ceasefire Decision Say About Its Forces in Gaza?
Decision 3396, adopted 9 October 2025, sets two IDF deployment stages by annexed map and carries no disarmament paragraph in its published text.
48 hostages, 250 prisoners and 1,722 detainees from Gaza are the quantities the Government of Israel published in Decision 3396, adopted on 9 October 2025, and no paragraph of the published text addresses weapons, tunnels, military production sites or a decommissioning period. The decision is Israel’s own instrument, approved by its cabinet on the basis of a security-political opinion of the National Security Council, and it records what Israel decided rather than what any other party undertook. It provides for two IDF deployment stages by reference to annexed maps, and it cancels the ceasefire if the hostages are not returned.
| Figure | What it counts | Who published it | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 paragraphs | Published paragraphs addressing weapons, tunnels, production sites or a decommissioning period | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | Adopted 9 October 2025 |
| 2 deployment stages | IDF deployments set by reference to annexed maps, at Annex D and Annex E | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | Adopted 9 October 2025 |
| 24 hours | Window within which the IDF was to deploy per the maps at Annex D | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | From adoption, 9 October 2025 |
| 48 hostages | 20 living, 2 whose deaths had not been determined, 26 deceased, to be returned | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | Within 72 hours of that deployment |
| 2 ministers | Office holders authorised jointly to terminate execution of the framework | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | Adopted 9 October 2025 |
| 1 classified annex | Annex B, carrying further conditions and the humanitarian aid arrangements | Government of Israel, Decision 3396 | Held in the Government Secretariat |
| 0 dates | Withdrawal dates or milestones published in the war diary dispatches | IDF Spokesperson | 4 November 2025 and 13 April 2026 |
The aid terms sit inside Annex B, which is classified
The Government of Israel states in paragraph 1 of Decision 3396 that the framework includes further conditions set out in Annex B, and in paragraph 7 that humanitarian aid will be brought into the Gaza Strip as detailed in that same Annex B. Annex B is classified. Annexes C to F, carrying the prisoner lists, the maps and the hostage list, sit in the Government Secretariat files rather than in the text published on 9 October 2025, so the published decision is not the whole instrument.
- Annex B: further conditions and the aid arrangements. Classified.
- Annexes C to F: prisoner lists, hostage list and deployment maps. Held in the Government Secretariat.
- Paragraph 8.1: the Government of Israel required publication of the decision and Annex C on the Ministry of Justice website, withholding the names of the Gaza detainees not involved in the events of 7 October, of the further 20, and of the minors among the 250, for whom the police file and criminal proceeding numbers were to be given so far as possible.
Decision 3396 carries no disarmament clause in its published text
The published paragraphs of Decision 3396 cover the ceasefire, the deployment, the hostage return, the releases, the transfer of bodies, a permanent-removal condition, termination authority and publication. The Government of Israel published no paragraph on weapons, tunnels, production sites or a period over which any decommissioning would run. This is the Israeli cabinet’s own record of its own decision.
| Paragraph | What the Government of Israel decided |
|---|---|
| 2.1 | Ceasefire from adoption; IDF deployment within 24 hours per the maps at Annex D |
| 2.2 | Return of 48 hostages within 72 hours of that deployment |
| 2.3.1 | Release of 250 prisoners and detainees held by the Prison Service, plus some of a further 20, and 1,722 detainees from Gaza including 22 minors |
| 2.3.2 | Transfer of 360 bodies to Gaza |
| 3.1 | Release of a prisoner convicted of murder conditional on permanent transfer to Gaza or abroad |
| 6 | Cancellation of the ceasefire if paragraph 2.2 is not fulfilled |
Source: Government of Israel, Decision 3396, adopted 9 October 2025. Of the 1,722, the decision records 1,411 as held by the Prison Service and 311 by the IDF.
Annex D no longer binds the IDF if the 48 are unreturned
Paragraph 6 of Decision 3396 states that “in the event that paragraph 2.2 is not fulfilled, the ceasefire shall be cancelled and the IDF shall no longer be bound by the deployment at Annex D.” Paragraph 2.2 is the hostage return: 20 living, 2 whose lives were gravely feared for but whose deaths had not been determined, and 26 deceased. In the Government of Israel’s own decision, the deployment obligation is conditioned on that return and on nothing else the published text names. The second stage, at Annex E, is described in paragraph 2.1 as being in order to prevent friction with the population in the Gaza Strip.
Paragraph 4.3 lets 2 ministers terminate execution of the framework
The Government of Israel authorised the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, jointly, to decide to terminate execution of the framework, including where paragraph 2.2 is not fulfilled. That authority is named in the decision the cabinet itself adopted on 9 October 2025, which is Israel’s own record of its own decision-making, and it identifies two office holders rather than a body.
- Approval basis: a security-political opinion of the National Security Council, formed after the positions of the security and political bodies were received.
- Termination: the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, acting jointly, under paragraph 4.3.
- Automatic cancellation: paragraph 6, on non-fulfilment of the hostage return.
No Israeli body publishes a withdrawal timetable or phased schedule
Decision 3396 publishes two deployment stages by reference to Annexes D and E and no dates beyond the 24-hour and 72-hour windows in paragraphs 2.1 and 2.2. The IDF Spokesperson published dated dispatches during the ceasefire stating that forces are deployed and operating in accordance with the agreement, which is the IDF’s own characterisation of its own conduct. Those dispatches give no schedule, no milestone list and no count of positions held or vacated.
| Dispatch | What the IDF Spokesperson published | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Division 252, yellow line area | Battle-team forces of Brigade 11 and Brigade 188 operating east of the yellow line, a forward line inside the northern Gaza Strip, “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the directives of the political echelon” | 4 November 2025 |
| War diary, 18:15 entry | Strikes during that week on armed operatives approaching the yellow line, and forces under Southern Command “deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement” | 13 April 2026 |
Which figures here may not be added together?
Every figure on this page is the Government of Israel’s or the IDF’s own published record of its own decisions and operations. The 250 prisoners and detainees held by the Prison Service and the 1,722 detainees from Gaza are separate categories in Decision 3396, which describes the 1,722 as not having been involved in the events of 7 October 2023; they may not be summed into one release figure. The two war diary dispatches are single dated publications, not a series, and support no count of operations across the ceasefire. The published text is partial: Annex B is classified, and Annexes C to F are held in the Government Secretariat.
Questions readers ask
Does Decision 3396 mention disarmament?
The Government of Israel published no paragraph on weapons, tunnels, military production sites or a decommissioning period in the text of Decision 3396 released on 9 October 2025.
Does the decision provide for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza?
The Government of Israel published two deployment stages, at Annex D and Annex E, in paragraph 2.1 of Decision 3396. The published text sets positions by reference to annexed maps and does not provide for forces to leave the Strip.
What conditions the ceasefire?
Paragraph 6 of Decision 3396 states that the ceasefire is cancelled if the return of the 48 hostages under paragraph 2.2 is not fulfilled.
Who can end the framework?
The Government of Israel authorised the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence, jointly, under paragraph 4.3.
When did the ceasefire begin?
Decision 3396 provides that the ceasefire commences at the time of the adoption of the decision, which the Government Secretariat published as 9 October 2025.
How many hostages were covered?
Paragraph 2.2 of Decision 3396 lists 48: 20 living, 2 whose deaths had not been determined, and 26 deceased, including 1 non-Israeli feared for and 3 non-Israeli deceased.
How many people were to be released?
The Government of Israel approved the release of 250 prisoners and detainees held by the Prison Service, some of a further list of 20, and 1,722 detainees from Gaza including 22 minors, of whom 1,411 were held by the Prison Service and 311 by the IDF.
Are the deployment maps public?
Annexes C to F, which include the maps, are held in the Government Secretariat files. The Government of Israel published the decision and Annex C on the Ministry of Justice website under paragraph 8.1.
What has the IDF published about its activity during the ceasefire?
The IDF Spokesperson published dated war diary dispatches, including on 4 November 2025 and 13 April 2026, describing operations east of the yellow line and strikes near it, and stating that forces are deployed in accordance with the agreement. Those are the IDF’s own accounts of its own operations.
Is there a published timetable for the stages?
The Government of Israel published a 24-hour window for the Annex D deployment and a 72-hour window for the hostage return, and no further dates. The IDF Spokesperson published no schedule or milestone list in the dispatches recorded here.
Does any Israeli body publish a count of positions vacated?
No count of positions held or vacated appears in Decision 3396 or in the IDF Spokesperson dispatches recorded here.
Sources
- Government of Israel, 2025. Decision 3396, Framework for the release of all Israeli hostages. Government Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, adopted 9 October 2025, made under section 8b(a) of the Government Law, 5761-2001. gov.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson, 2025. Division 252 activity in the yellow line area. War diary, published 4 November 2025. idf.il. Official or primary record.
- Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson, 2026. War diary, 13 April 2026. idf.il. Official or primary record.
