GAZA STRIP – The Israeli military says it has partially withdrawn troops from parts of Gaza after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday morning.
Israeli forces said they had pulled back to an agreed position within the territory – though troops still occupy half of the Strip.
Footage shows thousands of Palestinians making their way to the north of Gaza, which has been heavily bombarded by Israeli forces in recent months.
The ceasefire came into effect after the Israeli government approved the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire and hostage return deal on Thursday. The next phases are still being negotiated.
Under the deal, Hamas will release all Israeli hostages – including 20 who are believed to be alive, and up to 28 hostages’ remains.
Israel should also release about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails. Israeli army radio said 100 would be released into the West Bank and five to East Jerusalem. More are expected to be deported.
A further 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained should also be released.
Under the terms of the deal, aid lorries should also be allowed unrestricted into the Strip to bring desperately needed aid to Gaza’s population – many of whom have been repeatedly displaced during the two-year war.
Some 600 aid lorries are expected to enter Gaza daily, though details of the roll-out remain unclear and it has not yet been confirmed whether any increased aid has reached people since the ceasefire began.
A famine was declared in part of the territory for the first time in August by UN-backed experts, who said more than 500,000 people were facing “catastrophic” conditions characterized by “starvation, destitution and death”.
Israel has repeatedly denied that there is starvation in the territory.
In a separate development, up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza, according to US officials.
Eyewitnesses in Gaza said troops had pulled back from the north-western outskirts of Gaza City towards the east.
In the south, some Israeli troops were also reported to have pulled back from the Khan Younis area.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines” from 12:00 local time.
“IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat,” the statement added.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said US Central Command had confirmed IDF troops had “completed the first phase withdrawal” to what he referred to as the “yellow line”. The line was featured in a map released by the White House last week marking where troops would withdraw to during this phase of the ceasefire agreement, where it would control 53% of Gaza.
A map released by the White House shows where the IDF will withdraw to during different phases of the ceasefire. The first line shows the IDF’s line of control ahead of the ceasefire, the second line – which marks a larger area than the first – shows where IDF troops will move during the initial withdrawal, and the third marks a larger area again where troops will withdraw to in the second phase. The map also shows what it labels as a security buffer zone around the inner borders of the Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address he was “fulfilling” the promise to bring back all the hostages.
He added Israeli troops were still “surrounding Hamas from every direction”, adding the next stages of Trump’s plan are that “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised”. Hamas has not made any pledge to disarm at this point. (BBC)
