Israeli forces began pulling back from parts of Gaza on Friday under the newly ratified ceasefire with Hamas, and some residents edged back into shattered neighbourhoods, Reuters reported. “Thank God my house is still standing,” said Ismail Zayda, 40, in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan district.
“But the place is destroyed… Entire districts have gone. Is it over? They said it is. Why does no one come out and tell us whether there is a ceasefire and we can stop being afraid?”
The government in Jerusalem approved the deal in the early hours, paving the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and setting a 72-hour window for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. In its first phase, U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative envisages Israeli withdrawals from major urban areas while maintaining control over roughly half the enclave, alongside a surge of food and medical aid for hundreds of thousands sheltering in tents. On the ground, residents reported mixed signals: partial pullbacks near eastern Khan Younis with tank fire still audible; positions dismantled by some units at Nusseirat as others remained after overnight gunfire; and troops withdrawing from the coastal road into Gaza City, where crowds gathered but hesitated to cross amid nearby shooting. Rescue teams reached areas long cut off, with medics recovering at least 10 bodies from earlier strikes.
“We were happy to hear of the truce and got ready to return to Gaza City,” said Mahdi Saqla, 40. “Of course there are no homes, they’ve been destroyed. But even returning to the rubble is a joy.”
The truce marks the most significant step yet toward ending two years of war that have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, deepened Israel’s international isolation and drawn Iran, Yemen and Lebanon into a broader regional confrontation. The exiled Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, said he had received U.S. and Arab guarantees that the war is over. Israeli authorities believe 20 hostages are still alive in Gaza, 26 are presumed dead and the fate of two remains unknown; Hamas has indicated that recovering the bodies may take longer than releasing those who are alive.
The plan's approval
Earlier, the Israeli government formally approved the agreement for the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The government has just approved the framework for the release of all hostages, both the living and the deceased,” the office announced on X.
The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages – the living and the deceased.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 9, 2025
With the vote passed, a ceasefire immediately takes effect, halting hostilities and launching the first stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
Hamas declares the end of the war
The exiled Gaza leader and chief Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya declared “the war is over” on Thursday (October 9), saying the group had received guarantees from the United States, Arab mediators, and Turkey.
“We have received assurances from our brotherly mediators and from the U.S. government confirming that the war has definitively ended,” al-Hayya said.
He added that 250 Palestinians serving life sentences in Israeli prisons would be freed under the agreement, alongside 1,700 detainees from Gaza arrested since the start of the conflict.
Details of the agreement leak
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN published the text of the agreement signed in Egypt between Israel, Hamas, and mediators. The document, titled “Implementation Steps of President Trump’s Plan for a Complete End to the War in Gaza,” outlines the process in several stages.
The first step calls for the U.S. president’s formal announcement declaring “the end of the war in Gaza” and confirming that all parties have agreed to implement the necessary measures.
The second step specifies that “the war will end immediately upon the approval of the Israeli government,” halting all military operations, including airstrikes and artillery bombardments. During the 72-hour period, aerial surveillance will be suspended over areas from which the IDF withdraws.
The third step requires “the full and immediate entry of humanitarian aid and relief supplies” into Gaza. The fourth mandates the IDF’s withdrawal to agreed lines within 24 hours of cabinet approval. “The IDF will not return to these areas as long as Hamas fully complies with the agreement,” it says.
In the fifth stage, “within 72 hours of the IDF’s withdrawal, all Israeli hostages, alive and deceased, held in Gaza will be released.”
A clause also calls for a “mechanism for exchanging information” on any unrecovered hostages or Gazan remains held by Israel. The process will ensure that all remains are exhumed and returned safely, Hamas pledges.
Parallel to the hostage releases, Israel will free an equivalent number of Palestinian prisoners, with the exchange coordinated via mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross, “without public ceremonies or media coverage.”
A final step foresees a special monitoring task force made up of representatives from the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and other agreed states, to oversee implementation by both sides.
Trump to visit the Middle East, invited to address the Knesset
U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would travel to the Middle East on Sunday as part of the Israel–Hamas deal. He confirmed he had agreed to speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, “if they wish.”
“Israel’s Speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, later issued a formal invitation for Trump to address lawmakers during his visit next week.”
Senior American officials said a contingent of 200 U.S. military personnel will be deployed in the region to oversee the ceasefire implementation. The mission will be led by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
“Admiral Cooper will have about 200 people on the ground. His role is to monitor, verify, and ensure no violations occur,” one official said.
The team will include officers from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and possibly the United Arab Emirates. Sources told The Times of Israel that the U.S. forces will likely be stationed in Egypt, where a joint operations centre will coordinate with Israeli and regional security forces.
U.S. envoy: “Netanyahu made the hardest decisions”
At Israel’s cabinet meeting, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his “extraordinarily difficult decisions” throughout the war.
“The hard work was the Prime Minister’s,” Witkoff said, seated beside Netanyahu. “It was his responsibility to protect the country, to decide when to be flexible and when not to be.”
He added, “Looking back, I don’t think we would have reached this point without Prime Minister Netanyahu. That’s not just my view, it’s the President’s view too.”
IDF Chief warns troops: “The enemy has not disappeared”
Israel’s Chief of Defence Staff, Herzi Halevi (Eyal Zamir in original text, possibly confusion), urged soldiers in Gaza to remain alert despite the impending truce.
“As the nation watches and celebrates the hostages’ release, I ask you to stay vigilant. The enemy is here, it has not disappeared,” he said. “Our work is not done. We will not rest until every last hostage is home and every fallen soldier buried.”
Trump: “We ended the war in Gaza”
Speaking at a White House cabinet meeting, President Trump declared, “We ended the war in Gaza and, on a broader scale, we created peace.”
“I believe it will be lasting peace, hopefully eternal peace,” he said, adding that hostages would be released “on Monday or Tuesday.”
Negotiations for Phase Two of Trump’s plan, which includes Hamas’s disarmament and a full IDF withdrawal, are expected to begin immediately. The plan also foresees a “Peace Committee” chaired by Trump himself to oversee Gaza’s transitional administration.
The October 7, 2023 Hamas assault on southern Israel killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians. Since then, at least 67,194 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s retaliatory operations, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, figures deemed credible by the United Nations.
Sources: CNA, AMNA, BBC, Reuters