Israel’s military says Gaza ceasefire now in effect

Israel’s military announced early Friday that the ceasefire in Gaza is now in effect, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet approved the first phase of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan.

The military wrote in a social media post that its troops have “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.”

Soldiers in the Southern Command, however, will remain in the area and “continue to remove any immediate threat.”

Israel will retain control of roughly 50 percent of Gaza in the new positions, an Israeli security official speaking on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press.

Their decision to retreat follows days of negotiations between top leaders from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, who were entrenched in negotiations to secure a peace deal agreeable to both Israel and Hamas. Trump first announced his 20-point peace plan to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas during a meeting with Netanyahu last month

On Friday, special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said, “CENTCOM has confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time.”

“The 72 hour period to release the hostages has begun,” he added in a statement posted to the social platform X.

The final terms of the arrangement ensure Israel releases 2,000 prisoners. All women and children being held in Israeli custody will also be freed, according to the AP.

Others liberated will include 250 Palestinian prisoners, 1,722 Gazans detained during the war who were not involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, in addition to 22 children, The New York Times reported.

Hamas is also expected to release all remaining hostages — both living and dead — in the swap. Trump, who will travel to the Middle East to oversee the deal, said Thursday that this would take place Monday or Tuesday.

Gaza officials said Israel continued to strike the area early Friday but have since said bombings have subsided, the AP reported.  

“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,” Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, said in a televised speech, according to the AP.