A cease-fire in Gaza officially took effect at noon on Friday, as confirmed by the Israeli military, with troops beginning their repositioning within the territory. This pivotal moment is seen by mediators as a potential pathway to conclude the two-year-long conflict.
This declaration followed the Israeli government’s early Friday approval of a cease-fire agreement negotiated with Hamas. Key components of this deal include Hamas releasing its remaining captives in return for Palestinian prisoners, coupled with a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Steve Witkoff, then-President Trump’s Mideast envoy, stated that the U.S. military had confirmed Israeli forces had moved to the agreed-upon line within Gaza. He announced on social media that this action initiated a 72-hour period for Hamas to release all remaining hostages.
In a recorded statement on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that the cease-fire deal would facilitate the return of the remaining hostages while ensuring that Israeli forces could maintain their presence in Gaza.
Netanyahu emphasized that Israel would not waver on other key demands, such as Hamas disarming and Gaza being demilitarized. However, Hamas views laying down arms as an act of surrender, considering armed resistance a legitimate response to Israeli control over Palestinian territories.
He sternly warned, “If this is achieved the easy way, so much the better. If not, it will be done the hard way.”
Following the cease-fire announcement, thousands of people streamed along Gaza’s coastal road on Friday, making their way from the southern part of the enclave towards the north. Among them was Mousa Rajab, a 22-year-old nursing student, who, with his cousin, immediately began the journey to Gaza City.
Rajab expressed his urgent desire: “We just want to see if our homes are still standing. We heard ours was partly damaged, but we have to see it with our own eyes.”
Despite a history of cease-fires in Gaza collapsing into renewed violence, Rajab voiced a cautious optimism that this time, the war might truly be at an end. “Everything still feels uncertain,” he mused. “Will they tell us to leave again? I hope not. I just want this to be the last time we walk this road.”
Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, announced on Friday that Israeli forces would permit Palestinians in southern Gaza to use main roads to travel north. However, he issued a strong warning against approaching specific areas where Israeli troops would remain deployed, deeming them “extremely dangerous.”
The previous night, the Israeli military reported striking a location in northern Gaza, asserting it was a site utilized by Hamas fighters who presented an “immediate threat” to their forces.
Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency rescue service stated that the targeted location was a residential building, believed to house dozens of people at the time of the military action.
A government resolution released by Netanyahu’s office on Friday outlined that the Israeli military must relocate to new deployment lines within Gaza by early Saturday. Subsequently, Hamas would have a 72-hour window to return all hostages, including the remains of those who perished.
The document further confirmed Israel’s authorization for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences, alongside 1,722 Gazans detained during the war who were not implicated in the October 7, 2023 attacks. This group includes 22 individuals under the age of 18.
On Friday, the government published a list of prisoners slated for release. Notably absent from this list were several high-profile individuals whose freedom analysts had anticipated Hamas would strive to secure.