{"id":73046,"date":"2025-10-11T02:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T02:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/73046\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T02:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T02:59:10","slug":"thousands-on-move-in-gaza-as-ceasefire-comes-into-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/73046\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands on move in Gaza as ceasefire comes into effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tens of thousands of Palestinians were starting to walk north to return to their homes Friday, after the Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement with Hamas came into effect at noon local time and that troops were withdrawing to the agreed-upon deployment lines.<\/p>\n

The announcement came after Palestinians reported heavy shelling on Friday morning in northern Gaza, hours after Israel\u2019s Cabinet approved US President Donald Trump\u2019s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the remaining hostages and Palestinian prisoners.<\/p>\n

Thousands of people who had gathered in Wadi Gaza in central Gaza in the morning started walking north after the military\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt that the sword was on its neck \u2014 and it is still on its neck<\/p>\n

Benjamin Netanyahu<\/p>\n

The approval marked a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilised the Middle East.<\/p>\n

A brief statement from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s office said the cabinet approved the \u201coutline\u201d of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.<\/p>\n

A list published on Friday by Israel of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the deal does not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure.<\/p>\n

Israel views Barghouti and some others as terrorist masterminds who murdered Israeli civilians and has refused to release them in past exchanges.<\/p>\n

\"IsraeliIsraeli soldiers stand near their tanks along the Israeli-Gaza border (Emilio Morenatti\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

Mr Netanyahu said Israel is about to achieve one of its central goals in the two-year war \u2013 the return of the hostages.<\/p>\n

\u201cHamas agreed to the deal only when it felt that the sword was on its neck \u2014 and it is still on its neck,\u201d Mr Netanyahu said on Friday. \u201cHamas agreed to the deal after Trump\u2019s plan, which I agreed to with the president in Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cI promised the families of the hostages, and I also promised you, citizens of Israel, that we will return everyone, without exception. We promised and we are fulfilling it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He insisted in the televised statement that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarised.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this is achieved the easy way, so be it. If not, it will be achieved the hard way,\u201d Mr Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n

Under the ceasefire plan agreed with Hamas, all 48 hostages still in captivity are expected to be released. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a guarded optimism because it\u2019s the kind of optimism that\u2019s born out of heartbreaking experience. We hold our hope lightly because we\u2019ve had our hopes dashed before<\/p>\n

Hostage’s <\/p>\n

A relative of one of the Israeli hostages believed to have died in captivity said the family hopes his body will be returned for burial as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n

Stephen Brisley\u2019s relative, Yossi Sharabi, is believed to have died in an airstrike in January 2024.<\/p>\n

Mr Brisley\u2019s sister and Yossi\u2019s sister-in-law Lianne Sharabi, and her two teenage daughters were killed when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7 2023.\u00a0His brother-in-law Eli Sharabi was taken hostage and subsequently released.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a measured sense of hope in all hostage families,\u201d Mr Brisley told The Associated Press from his home in South Wales.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a guarded optimism because it\u2019s the kind of optimism that\u2019s born out of heartbreaking experience. We hold our hope lightly because we\u2019ve had our hopes dashed before,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt still feels like a long way between the announcement of the deal and actually getting Yossi\u2019s body back to bury him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump\u2019s top negotiator on the Gaza conflict, said the US military confirmed that Israeli soldiers have pulled back as part of the ceasefire agreement on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 72-hour period to release the hostages has begun,\u201d Mr Witkoff wrote on social media on Friday morning.<\/p>\n

In an interview with the Associated Press, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says the expected hostage and prisoner release will be more challenging than previous ones given the scale and speed of the operation.<\/p>\n

Our colleagues are preparing themselves for all possible scenarios<\/p>\n

Christian Cardon, ICRC<\/p>\n

Christian Cardon, chief spokesman for the ICRC, said that while the group is expected to play a role as hostages are released from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israel, it has not been given details in terms of when, how or where the releases would occur.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur colleagues are preparing themselves for all possible scenarios,\u201d said Mr Cardon.<\/p>\n

He said that the terms of the deal, which call for the hostages to be released from Gaza within 72 hours, was an \u201cextremely\u201d tight timeframe.<\/p>\n

The ICRC was involved in prisoner and hostage releases in the two previous ceasefires during the war.<\/p>\n

Mr Netanyahu added that Israel would continue with its demilitarisation of Hamas after the return of the hostages.<\/p>\n

Israeli Brig Gen Effie Defrin, an Israeli military spokesman, said that troops had completed their withdrawal to the deployment lines by Friday afternoon, a few hours after the ceasefire officially went into effect.<\/p>\n

An Israeli security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, earlier said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in their new positions.<\/p>\n

In central Gaza\u2019s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, one of the many people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City, said artillery shelling had intensified in the early hours before the Israeli military began to withdraw.<\/p>\n

\"DisplacedDisplaced Palestinians walk with their belongings past destroyed buildings as they return to their homes in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Friday (Jehad Alshrafi\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech on Thursday laying out what he said were the core elements of the ceasefire deal: Israel releasing around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, opening the border crossing with Egypt, allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing.<\/p>\n

Khalil al-Hayya said all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed. He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.<\/p>\n

Al-Hayya said the Trump administration and mediators had 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe declare today that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people,\u201d Al-Hayya said in a televised speech on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

The hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin on Monday, two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said, though another official said they could occur as early as Sunday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to be publicly named speaking about the negotiations.<\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople gather in so-called \u201cHostage Square\u201d in Tel Aviv (Ariel Schalit\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

All living hostages are expected to be released at the same time, followed by the bodies of the deceased, which could take more time.<\/p>\n

Five border crossings are expected to reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the Egyptian and Hamas officials said. That will allow aid to flow into the territory, parts of which are experiencing famine.<\/p>\n

The Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprising largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza.<\/p>\n

To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, US officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

The US would also lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort.<\/p>\n

The plan also envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority \u2014 something Mr Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform programme that could take years.<\/p>\n

The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Mr Netanyahu firmly rejects.<\/p>\n

We are well aware of Israel\u2019s poor track record when it comes to keeping its promises … Returning to an environment of genocide would come at a very high cost<\/p>\n

Recep Tayyip Erdogan<\/p>\n

Speaking at a rally in northern Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a return to conflict would \u201ccome at a very high cost\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are well aware of Israel\u2019s poor track record when it comes to keeping its promises. They have broken their commitments using flimsy excuses and, unfortunately, betrayed the agreements they signed,\u201d Mr Erdogan told the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cReturning to an environment of genocide would come at a very high cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turkey has frequently accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, an accusation Israel denies.<\/p>\n

Mr Erdogan stressed the importance of swiftly getting humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding that Turkish ships were docked at a port in Egypt, waiting to deliver aid.<\/p>\n

The ceasefire somewhat eased the pain of death and bloodshed, and the pain of our loved ones and brothers who suffered in this war<\/p>\n

Displaced Palestinian Jamal Mesbah<\/p>\n

A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a coastal road in central Gaza, heading north to see what might have remained of their homes. Others headed to other parts of the Palestinian territory in the south.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to go back,\u201d said Fayez AlMajdoub, one of the crowd who had been displaced from northern Gaza. \u201cI want to go and make sure my home is still there. That\u2019s what I want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another man displaced from northern Gaza, Jamal Mesbah, said: \u201cMy family is waiting, and we packed our stuff as we may return home. But we still suffered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t much joy, but the ceasefire somewhat eased the pain of death and bloodshed, and the pain of our loved ones and brothers who suffered in this war.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Gaza\u2019s southern city of Khan Younis, hundreds of Palestinians attempted to return to their homes, only to find wrecked buildings, rubble and destruction upon the withdrawal of the Israeli troops.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was nothing left. Just a few clothes, pieces of wood, and pots,\u201d said Fatma Radwan, who was displaced from eastern Khan Younis. People were still trying to retrieve bodies from under the rubble, she added.<\/p>\n

\"DisplacedPalestinians walk along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in central Gaza, moving towards northern Gaza (Yousef Al Zanoun\/AP)\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came to a place that is unidentifiable. An unidentifiable town. Destruction is everywhere,\u201d said Hani Omran, who was also displaced from eastern Khan Younis.<\/p>\n

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.<\/p>\n

In Israel\u2019s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.<\/p>\n

Bearing in mind the level of trust that exists between Russia and our Arab friends, and especially Palestinian friends, of course, I believe our participation could be in demand<\/p>\n

Vladimir Putin<\/p>\n

In a joint statement on Friday, the leaders of France, Germany and the UK paid tribute to Mr Trump\u2019s leadership on the ceasefire plan, the planned release of hostages and the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza.<\/p>\n

They also praised the diplomatic efforts of the mediators \u2013 Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is now of utmost importance that all parties implement their obligations in full and without delay,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

The countries added that the UN Security Council should give its full backing to the plan and support its implementation.<\/p>\n

And Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Mr Trump for helping broker the deal and said Russia stands ready to help implement it.<\/p>\n

Mr Putin said that if the agreement is successfully implemented, it would mark a major achievement and a \u201chistoric event\u201d.<\/p>\n

He noted that Russia has close ties with the Palestinian authority and could help carry out the deal if asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBearing in mind the level of trust that exists between Russia and our Arab friends, and especially Palestinian friends, of course, I believe our participation could be in demand,\u201d Mr Putin told reporters on a trip to Tajikistan.<\/p>\n

Mr Putin noted that he decided to postpone a Russia-Arab summit in Moscow that had been scheduled for October 15 in order \u201cnot to interfere with the process that has been initiated by President Trump\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tens of thousands of Palestinians were starting to walk north to return to their homes Friday, after the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":73047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-73046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}