The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas took effect at noon local time on Friday. He said the forces were withdrawing towards the agreed lines. In a post on Twitter the Israel Defense Forces said the ceasefire agreement took effect at 12:00. It further added that from 12 noon, IDF troops began their deployment to the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages. IDF troops from the Southern Command remain deployed in the area and will continue to work to address any immediate threats.
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The development came hours after the Israeli Cabinet approved US President Donald Trump’s Gaza Strip peace plan deal, which also includes a deal for the release of hostages and a Palestinian prisoner exchange. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 20 hostages in Gaza are alive, while 28 others are dead.
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Following cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported increased shelling by Friday morning. In the Nusrat refugee camp in central Gaza, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of many people displaced from Gaza City and seeking refuge there, said artillery shelling intensified in the early morning. “Today there has been a significant increase in shelling,” Sharkawy said, adding that low-flying military aircraft were also flying over central Gaza. People in northern Gaza reported that the bombardment had continued since the early morning. Rami Mahanna, managing director of Shifa Hospital, said shelling in southern and northern Gaza City has not stopped even after the Israeli cabinet approved the ceasefire plan.