Ceasefire agreement comes into effect; IDF troops retreat; Palestinians start returning

The Israeli military announced on Friday that the ceasefire agreement has come into effect, and the troops have retreated to the deployment lines agreed upon in the talks. In a statement on X, the IDF said the troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages” from midday local time.

IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat, the statement added. The agreement outlines that after the start of the ceasefire, 72-hour countdown for Hamas has begun, during which it will have to release all hostages. The IDF now has 53% control of the Gaza Strip, mostly outside urban zones.

All hostages believed to still be alive must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

In previous handovers, the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross and were then transferred to Israel. The bodies of the 28 deceased hostages will also be returned, though it is unclear how long this will take. As per the agreement, the handovers will take place “without any public ceremonies or media coverage”. Previous handovers involved highly-choreographed Hamas ceremonies that drew objections from Israel.

About 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza are also likely to be released in the same period.

“We are at a momentous development,” said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after the ceasefire confirmation.

Meanwhile, the US has moved 200 troops to Israel to help coordinate the operation, officials said, but they will not enter Gaza.

Israel to allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza every day

Israel will allow Palestinian residents of Gaza, who left the enclave during the war, to return home through the Rafah crossing, according to a report by Israel’s Army Radio.

It added that 600 aid trucks, carrying food, medical equipment, shelter supplies, fuel, and cooking gas, will be allowed to enter Gaza daily through the United Nations, accredited international organisations and the private sector.

The report said that truck traffic will flow from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip via Salah al-Din and al-Rashid streets.

Thousands of Palestinians start heading home after ceasefire

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians in Gaza began heading north in the territory after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire had come into effect on Friday, reported AFP news agency.

Families have started returning to Gaza City from the western part of the residential area towards the main parts, from where they had been displaced.

Besides, families at the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza started moving towards the north of the Strip and many were on way to enter the areas in the Netzarim Corridor, where the Israeli army used to operate.

Trump expected to arrive in Israel on Monday: Report

Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reports that Donald Trump is expected to land in Israel at around 9am on Monday, 13 October. The US president is due to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport.

However, the visit is now going to be shorter than originally planned, due to logistics of organising the trip at such a last minute, reported The Times of Israel.

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