Israeli military says ceasefire has come to effect in Gaza following two years of war

The Israeli military said on Friday that a cease-fire had come into effect at noon and that its soldiers were repositioning themselves within Gaza.

In a statement, the military said that soldiers in the Southern Command would “continue to remove any immediate threat.”

The statement came after the Israeli government approved a deal early on Friday between Israel and Hamas.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in a recorded statement on Friday that the cease-fire deal would allow Israel to bring back the remaining hostages while maintaining its forces in Gaza.
Israel would not compromise on the rest of its demands, he added, including that Hamas lay down its weapons and that Gaza be demilitarized. But Hamas regards disarmament as tantamount to surrender and views armed struggle as a legitimate form of resistance against Israeli control over Palestinian lands.

“If this is achieved the easy way, so much the better. If not, it will be done the hard way,” Mr. Netanyahu said.

It was not immediately clear what the situation on the ground in Gaza was on Friday, but Arab news media showed thousands of people walking along the seaside road from southern to northern Gaza.

Avichay Adraee, a military spokesman, said the Israeli military would allow Palestinians in southern Gaza to travel along major roads to the north. But he warned people not to approach several areas across Gaza where Israelis troops would remain active, saying those places were “extremely dangerous.”
On Thursday night, the Israeli military said it had struck a site in northern Gaza, which it said was being used by Hamas fighters who “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli troops.

Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency rescue service said the site was a residential building that dozens of people were believed to be in at the time of the strike.

According to the text of the deal released on Friday by Mr. Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli military would move to new deployment lines inside Gaza by early Saturday. Hamas would then have 72 hours to return all of the hostages, including the bodies of those who have died.

The text also said ⁠⁠Israel had authorized the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel and 1,722 Gazans detained during the war who were not involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including 22 people who were under the age of 18.