Israel says ceasefire began, troops began to withdraw from parts of Gaza

Kairo-the Israeli army said on Friday that a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect at noon, which paved the way for the release of the remaining hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid in the area. Israeli troops on Friday morning began to withdraw from parts of the Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire, Israeli and Arab officials said. The government of Israel approved the agreement overnight, which appeals to Israeli forces to retreat to a line marked in yellow on a map. Hamas said it would begin to deploy internal security forces in the areas where the Israeli forces are withdrawing. The Israeli troop withdrawal sets up the ceasefire and begins a 72 -hour countdown for the release of the hostages, mediators say. Officials involved in the negotiations said that the final details between Israel and Hamas are still smoothed in Egypt, including the exact demarcation of the yellow line, the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and the control of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. Israeli hospitals and the Israeli army are preparing to receive the living hostages, and rely on the experience they have accumulated since the beginning of the war from the previous exchanges of prisoners. Help groups also prepare for Israel to open border crossings, so that they can flood Gaza with urgently needed food and medicine. Some assistance trucks have entered the enclaves in recent months, although it is in much lower numbers than necessary. Although celebrations broke out in both Gaza and Tel Aviv, mediators and many civilians hold their breath on both sides to see if the ceasefire will hold. Smoke that comes up in the air can be seen on live feeds of Gaza on Friday morning. Palestinians in Gaza are concerned that a collapse in the agreement will lead to a resumption of strikes, as has happened twice before. And Israeli hostage families are anxiously waiting to see their prisoner family returning after a months -long battle in the streets and world leaders of the world to their cause. Some Gazane posted online about explosions heard on Friday morning. An Israeli official said troops inflated part of their own equipment and infrastructure if they pulled out. The Israeli army hit North Gaza on Thursday night just before the agreement passed the government’s voice, saying that militants pose a danger to troops. The agreement, which President Trump announced from the White House on Wednesday, promises to close a wound opened by the 7 October 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel who killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage. It is believed that about 20 remaining hostages in Gaza are alive, in addition to the bodies of about 28 others. The agreement will bring the first important break in battle since March, which makes the effort to end a two -year war that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and left the enclave in ruins. The US administration hopes that this will also be the first step towards a long-term settlement that will involve discussions about the disarmament of Hamas and the formation of an interim government to oversee Gaza. The US central commando will lead an international stabilization power and set up a civil-military coordination center that can include Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, a senior US official said. US troops began arriving in Israel on Thursday, and the first of about 200 was sent to support Gaza’s ceasefire as part of an international team, according to US officials. According to a US official, the troops will help to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and eventual transition to a civil government. It will also help facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.