TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) – The Israeli military announced Friday that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip took effect at noon local time, adding that troops were withdrawing to the agreed deployment line. The announcement was made a few hours later. Israeli Cabinet approves President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan In the Gaza Strip, the remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners of war were released.
Palestinians reported heavy shelling in parts of the Gaza Strip throughout Friday morning.
Israel’s cabinet’s approval of Trump’s plan is a key step toward closure devastating two year war That destabilized the Middle East.
A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office early Friday morning said the cabinet had approved the “outline” of the agreement to release the hostages, but made no mention of other aspects of the plan, which are more controversial.
An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal, said the military would control about 50% of the Gaza Strip in its new positions.
Shelling continues until early morning
After the cabinet approval, Gaza residents reported intensified shelling until Friday morning.
At the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Mahmoud Sharkawi, one of many people evacuated from Gaza City and taking shelter there, said shelling intensified in the early morning hours.
“The shelling increased significantly today,” Sharkawi said, adding that low-flying military planes were flying over central Gaza.
In northern Gaza, two Gaza city residents told The Associated Press that bombing had continued since early morning, mostly shelling.
Rami Manna, executive director of Shifa Hospital, said shelling in southern and northern Gaza City would not stop even after the Israeli cabinet approved the ceasefire plan.
“It’s chaos,” said Heba Galoun, whose home in eastern Gaza City was destroyed and who took refuge in another part of the city. “Despite the cease-fire news, we hear shelling all night.”
Transaction details
A senior Hamas official and chief negotiator spoke Thursday and outlined what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire agreement. Israel released about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opened border crossings with Egypt, allowed aid to flow in, and Israeli forces withdrew.
Khalil al-Haya said all women and children held in Israeli prisons would also be released. He did not elaborate on the scope of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
Al-Haya said the Trump administration and mediators have given assurances that the war is over, and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state.
“We declare today that we have reached an agreement to end war and aggression against our people,” Alhaya said in a televised address Thursday night.
To assist with support and monitoring armistice agreementU.S. officials said they would. send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader international team. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details they were not authorized to make public.
