Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Monday the lifting of the state of emergency that had been declared in southern Israel nearly two years ago, on October 7, 2023.

The “special situation” declared across the country following the Hamas invasion allowed the Home Front Command to restrict gatherings and close off certain areas. While it was initially declared nationwide on the morning of October 7, it has remained in effect only in the south since then.

The order will expire tomorrow and, for the first time in over two years, there will be no active “special situation” in Israel.

“I have decided to adopt the IDF’s recommendation and lift, for the first time since October 7, the special situation on the home front,” Katz said in a statement, adding that “the decision reflects the new reality in the security situation in the southern part of the country, which was achieved thanks to the decisive and powerful actions of our heroic troops against the Hamas terrorist organization over the past two years.”