A human tide floods back into Gaza as Trump’s ceasefire begins and IDF troops start to withdraw… but who will run the city now as Hamas insists on keeping its weapons?

A ceasefire in Gaza began today after two years of devastating war, after Israel approved overnight President Donald Trump’s peace plan aimed at stopping the bloodshed and securing the release of the remaining hostages.

At noon local time (10am BST), the guns finally fell silent as Israeli troops began withdrawing to new defensive lines as part of a fragile ceasefire, while thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to their homes in the ruins of Gaza City.

The pause marks the most dramatic step yet in efforts to end the conflict that has ravaged Gaza and destabilized the Middle East.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, warning that Hamas must still meet Israel’s demands for disarmament and security guarantees.

The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into force at noon local time (10:00 BST) and troops were withdrawn to agreed deployment lines.

In the statement made by the army, it was said: “IDF: The Ceasefire Agreement came into force at 12:00.”

‘From 12:00 (09:00 GMT), IDF troops began positioning themselves along updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of the hostages.’

In the statement made by the army, it was said: “IDF: The Ceasefire Agreement came into force at 12:00.” ‘From 12:00 (09:00 GMT), IDF units began positioning themselves along updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of the hostages.’

Picture: Israeli tanks arrive at a staging area after withdrawing from the Gaza Strip

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet had approved the “outlines” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other, more controversial aspects of the plan.

Netanyahu also threatened that Israel would return to war if its demands were not met the ‘easy way’.

‘Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized,’ he told reporters. ‘If this can be achieved the easy way, great. And if not, it will be achieved the hard way.’

An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the army will control about 50% of Gaza in its new positions.

Following cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported that the bombardment intensified until Friday morning.

Mahmoud Sharqawi, one of many people who took refuge in the Nuseyrat refugee camp in central Gaza after being driven from Gaza City, said the artillery bombardment intensified in the early hours.

“The bombardment has increased significantly today,” Sharkawy said, adding that low-flying military planes were flying over central Gaza.

A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday said the Cabinet had approved the “outlines” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other, more controversial aspects of the plan.

Picture: Palestinians walk along a street among the rubble of buildings destroyed during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas

Despite a ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas as part of the first phase of the Gaza peace plan, smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on the northern part of the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, on October 10, 2025

Israeli soldiers stand next to their tanks along the Israel-Gaza border, seen from southern Israel on Friday, October 10, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to stop the fighting and release the remaining hostages.

Palestinians march through a damaged neighborhood in Gaza City on October 10, following an Israeli operation after the Israeli government approved a ceasefire with Hamas.

In northern Gaza, two residents of Gaza City told The Associated Press that shelling, mostly artillery, had continued since the early morning hours.

Rami Mhanna, director general of Shifa hospital, said that the bombardment in southern and northern Gaza City did not stop after the Israeli Cabinet approved the ceasefire plan.

“It’s confusing, we hear shelling all night despite news of a ceasefire,” said Heba Garoun, who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood of the city after her house was destroyed.

A senior Hamas official and chief negotiator gave a speech Thursday in which he laid out the key elements of the ceasefire agreement: Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opened the border crossing with Egypt, allowed the flow of aid and Israeli forces withdrew.

Khalil al-Hayya said that all women and children held in Israeli prisons will also be released. He did not provide details on the extent of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.

Al-Hayya said that the Trump administration and mediators have assured that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian groups will now focus on self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.

“Today, we declare that we have reached an agreement to end the war and aggression against our people,” Al-Hayya said in a televised speech on Thursday evening. he said.

To help support and monitor the ceasefire agreement, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a larger international team.

The announcement came after Palestinians reported heavy shelling in Gaza on Friday morning, just hours after the Israeli Cabinet approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of remaining hostages and Palestinian detainees.

Palestinians celebrate the announcement of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 09 October 2025

Israelis celebrate in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 9, 2025, reacting to news of the Gaza peace agreement

Some Palestinians walk along Rashid Street carrying the few belongings they managed to salvage, hoping to return home after enduring months of harsh living conditions in Gaza City

In the photo taken from the southern Israeli border on October 10, 2025, a cloud of smoke rises after Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that were not allowed to be released.

This comes after the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday that the release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners demanded in the Gaza ceasefire agreement should be carried out in a ‘safe and dignified manner’.

The Israeli government said on Friday that it had ‘approved the framework’ of the hostage release agreement with Hamas, stating that both sides were moving closer to ending more than two years of hostilities in Gaza.

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric welcomed the plan, which calls for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 47 hostages remaining in Gaza, including 25 hostages the Israeli army says are dead.

“The ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas must be a turning point in two years of unimaginable horror,” the statement said, emphasizing that it “offers a vital chance to save lives and alleviate suffering.”

The ICRC chief insisted that ‘the coming days are critical’.

‘I invite the parties to adhere to their commitments. “Release operations must be carried out safely and with dignity,” he said.

He said ICRC teams in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank ‘will support the implementation of this practice by assisting in the return of hostages and detainees to their families’, adding that ‘they are also ready to assist in the return of human remains so that families can mourn their loved ones with dignity’.

The Geneva-based humanitarian organization said it had facilitated the release of 148 hostages and 1,931 detainees since October 2023. It also facilitated the return of human remains.

Previous transfers of hostages in the war sparked outrage in Israel after chaotic scenes during the handover, in which Hamas paraded hostages in front of crowds.

Spoljaric’s comments came a day after Israeli government spokesman Shosh Berosian emphasized that Israel ‘expects the handover of our hostages to be handled with respect and courtesy by Hamas.’

He said there would be no tolerance for hostages being ‘walked around’ as in the past.

This is breaking news, more will follow.