Israel declared a ceasefire in Gaza and began withdrawing its forces on Friday, following a deal pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end two years of war.
The Israeli military said troops halted fire at noon “in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.” Three hours later, the Pentagon confirmed Israel had completed the first phase of a pullback, with forces still holding around 53 percent of the territory. The ceasefire starts a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release the remaining 47 hostages from the 251 abducted during the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Israel published a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans it plans to release under the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped the holiday of Simhat Torah would become “a day of national joy” as families awaited the return of captives.
Trump said he was confident the truce would “hold” and confirmed he would meet regional leaders in Egypt on Monday to discuss Gaza’s future. Leaders of Britain, France, and Germany called on the UN Security Council to back the plan.
