The Israeli military has announced that a ceasefire is now in effect in Gaza, as its forces withdrew from parts of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire deal approved by the Israeli government.

Earlier, Israel’s government approved “phase one” of a ceasefire agreement, which will see captives exchanged and Israel withdraw from parts of Gaza, but details of how it fits into a wider plan to bring lasting peace, if at all, remain unclear.

The Israel Defense Forces said that the ceasefire agreement had come into effect at 12 p.m. local time today.

“Troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.”
Israel Defense Forces

It added that troops “in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat.”

An IDF Spokesman later added that troops would continue to be present in various areas of Gaza.

Addressing people in Gaza, spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, “You must avoid approaching IDF troops,” adding, “Approaching them endangers your life.”

“Residents are warned that in the northern Strip it is extremely dangerous to approach the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya, and any area with a concentration of troops.”
Avichay Adraee

In the south, Adraee said that it remained “extremely dangerous to approach” the Rafah Crossing area, the Philadelphi Corridor area, “and any concentration of troops in the Khan Yunis region.”

Under the terms of the deal brokered by the US and other mediators, the redeployment means that over the next three days, and before the deadline of 12 p.m. local time on Monday, the hostages held by Hamas will be handed over, and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel will be freed.

Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on those involved in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations to ensure that the remains of all deceased hostages are returned to Israel.

The forum said that the deal doesn’t “enable the necessary certainty regarding the return of all the hostages.” “The fight isn’t over,” the forum said.

The forum asserted its call for everyone involved in the agreement to ensure that returning all the deceased hostages “for proper burial in Israel will be at the forefront of negotiations, and will be a condition for the full implementation of the side by all parties.”

“Israel must not accept or normalize any possibility of abandoning its dead. The people of Israel won’t rest or give up any man or woman.

“Our national and moral duty is to ensure the return of the last hostage – the emerging agreement must reflect that and condition any process by this term.”
Hostages and Missing Families Forum

Thousands Trek To Gaza City Amid Ceasefire

Meanwhile, Palestinians have begun moving from the south of Gaza toward Gaza City after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area.

Thousands of people streamed north on foot along the coastal road.

Earlier, the Israeli military had fired at points along the road to prevent people from trying to return to Gaza City ahead of the withdrawal of Israeli troops to new lines inside Gaza, one element of the agreement brokered by the US and other mediators.

Last month, the Israel Defense Forces ordered the evacuation of Gaza City, which was estimated then to have a population of about one million people, as it began a new ground offensive.

As the ceasefire came into effect at 12 p.m. local time, according to the Israeli military, an IDF spokesman posted on X that “movement from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip is permitted via Al-Rashid Street and Salah al-Din Road.”