Gaza ceasefire in effect, Israeli troops withdrawing, IDF says

The IDF said its actions were in accordance with the agreement on the return of the hostages.

“IDF troops from Southern Command are deployed in the region and will continue to work to eliminate any immediate threat,” the statement said.

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The announcement came after Palestinians reported heavy bombardment in Gaza early Friday, after Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers approved the peace plan brokered by Trump and his envoys.

US officials said that the US would deploy 200 soldiers as part of the joint task force to ensure stability, but no Americans would enter Gaza.

The officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said the 200-person team will be the core of a task force that will include representatives from the Egyptian army, Qatar, Türkiye and possibly the United Arab Emirates.

United Nations emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said aid groups aim to repair health systems and deliver food to more than two million people.

“We are targeting 1.4 million people from water and sanitation services,” he said at a briefing.

“We will now deliver a huge increase in shelter provision, including helping families prepare for winter.”

Fletcher said this would include distributing thousands of tents each week and hopefully getting 700,000 children back into education.

But there are concerns it will take too long for border crossings to open for more aid as families return to war-torn areas with no shelter, water or food.

“The needs in Gaza are great and far-reaching,” the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

“It will take a long time to get to a place where people have even basic needs. Only a rapid, unimpeded and sustained flow of aid can begin to meet the full range of needs on the ground.”

In a sign that fighting continues until a deadline for a ceasefire begins, the IDF said a Hamas sniper killed 26-year-old reservist Michael Mordechai Nachmani in an attack in Gaza City on Thursday afternoon after ceasefire conditions were agreed to but before they took effect.

Also Thursday, the IDF launched an attack on an area in northern Gaza that Hamas said posed a direct threat to Israeli troops.

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Ceasefire terms require Israel to withdraw its forces from most of Gaza, but unofficial statements suggest Israel will retain control over 50 percent of the area.

Hamas has 72 hours after this withdrawal to bring back the hostages, alive and dead. This deadline will come into force at noon or 8pm AEST on Monday.

If this happens, Hamas expects Israel to release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving their sentences in Israel, as well as 1,700 Gazan people detained during the war.