Ceasefire comes into force as IDF pulls out of parts of Gaza

The Israeli army announced that it had partially withdrawn its forces from parts of the Gaza Strip after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas entered into force on Friday morning.

Israeli forces said they had withdrawn to an agreed-upon location inside the Strip, although forces still occupied half of the Strip.

Video footage showed thousands of Palestinians making their way to the northern Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to heavy bombardment by Israeli forces in recent months.

The ceasefire entered into force after the Israeli government approved on Thursday the first phase of the ceasefire and hostage return agreement announced by US President Donald Trump. The next stages are still under negotiation.

Under the agreement, Hamas has until 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) on Monday to release all Israeli hostages – including 20 of those believed to be alive, and up to the remains of 28 hostages.

Israel must also release about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons. Israeli Army Radio said that 100 of them would be released to the West Bank and five to East Jerusalem. More are expected to be deported.

Another 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who were arrested should also be released.

Under the terms of the agreement, aid trucks should also be allowed unrestricted entry into the Strip to bring much-needed aid to Gazans – many of whom have been repeatedly displaced during the two-year war.

About 600 aid trucks are expected to enter Gaza daily starting Friday, although details of the distribution process remain unclear and it has not yet been confirmed whether any increase in aid has reached people since the start of the ceasefire.

UN-backed experts declared famine in part of the region for the first time last August, and said that more than half a million people were facing “catastrophic” conditions characterized by “hunger, destitution and death.” Israel has repeatedly denied the existence of famine in the Strip.

Eyewitnesses in Gaza said that the forces withdrew from the northwestern outskirts of Gaza City towards the east.

In the south, some Israeli forces were also reported to have withdrawn from the Khan Yunis area.

In a statement on social media, the IDF said its forces “began to position themselves along the updated deployment lines” as of 12:00 local time.

The statement added, “IDF forces in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat.”

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that US Central Command confirmed that Israeli army forces “completed the first phase of withdrawal” to what he referred to as the “yellow line.” The line appeared on a map issued by the White House last week specifying where the forces will withdraw to during this phase of the ceasefire agreement, where they will control 53% of Gaza.

Witkoff added, “The 72-hour period for the release of the hostages has begun.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised speech that he was “fulfilling” his promise to return all the hostages.

He added that Israeli forces are still “surrounding Hamas from every direction,” adding that the next stages of Trump’s plan are “to disarm Hamas and disarm Gaza.” Hamas has not made any pledge to disarm at this stage.

Earlier on Friday, there was some confusion about the timing of the implementation of the ceasefire. Eyewitnesses told the BBC that air strikes continued in Gaza until the early hours of Friday morning.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry said 17 people were killed in the past 24 hours.

The Israeli military said it would continue to operate from its updated deployment lines to “remove any immediate threat,” and urged people to avoid entering areas still under Israeli military control.

In the areas of Gaza City from which the Israeli army withdrew, Hamas security forces deployed in the streets. They were photographed wearing hats bearing the logo of Hamas’ internal security agency instead of the logo of the regular police force.

As forces partially withdrew, thousands of Palestinians were filmed traveling – many on foot – on the Gaza coastal road to the north.

Many of them were traveling on foot for more than 20 kilometers (12 miles), carrying what remained of their possessions on their backs.

Along the narrow, damaged roads, some waved Palestinian flags and raised victory signs. But many of them appeared weak and malnourished.

Alaa Saleh, a teacher who fled Gaza City with his wife and six children to Khan Yunis in the south, said: “The road is long and difficult, and there is no food or water.”

He told the BBC: “I left my family behind and started walking north. Thousands are suffering around me. It costs around 4,000 shekels (£924, $1,227) to rent a car, which is far beyond what most people can afford.”

Wael Al-Najjar, who was on his way to his home in Jabalia in the north, said he slept outside on the cold sidewalk with his son waiting for him to be able to start his journey home.

He told the BBC: “Even if the house is destroyed, even if it is just rubble, we will go back and set up a tent and return to our people.”

Many were on the road targeting Gaza City, a large part of which was reduced to rubble.

Videos circulating online show vast areas of destruction in the city’s main neighborhoods, including the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north, and Sabra and Zeitoun in the south and east, where entire residential buildings were leveled.

Civil defense crews in Gaza are working to recover bodies from under the rubble Aid agencies have warned that basic supplies such as food, fuel and clean water remain extremely scarce.

In Israel, the families of hostages held in Gaza rejoiced at the news of the ceasefire.

Uri Goren, who has been campaigning since October 7, 2023 for the return of his cousin’s body after Tal Himi was killed and seized by Hamas two years ago, said he allowed himself a “huge sigh” when he heard about the ceasefire agreement.

But his relief was tempered by Hamas’ admission that it did not know the whereabouts of all the bodies of the dead hostages. “This will not end until all 48 return home,” he stressed.

The Israeli war on Gaza was sparked by Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken.

Since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 18,000 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

United Nations Commission of Inquiry and Senior experts Israel was accused of committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza during the war.

Israel categorically rejected the report and denounced it, describing it as “distorted and false.”

Additional reporting by Les Doucette, Rushdi Abualof and Alice Cady