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Netanyahu says deal came as a result of pressure on Hamas 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his country’s offensive in Gaza, saying it was both military and diplomatic pressure on Hamas that resulted in an initial agreement on a plan to end the war and see hostages released.
“I believed that if we applied heavy military pressure on Hamas — together with heavy diplomatic pressure — we could also bring back all our hostages. And that is exactly what we did,” he said today in a statement to the media. “But I also tell you — to put it mildly, it was not easy. I had to stand up to enormous pressures, both from home and from abroad.”
Israel has been under extreme pressure internationally to end the conflict, including from the U.S., over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and a starvation crisis in the enclave.
ShareIDF warns Palestinians not to approach troops or certain areas
The Israeli military has warned Palestinians in Gaza not to approach their troops or certain areas in the enclave’s north, saying doing so could expose them “to danger.”
In an “urgent statement,” IDF Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that Israeli troops would remain deployed in certain areas in the Gaza Strip. He said Palestinians should not approach forces until further notice.
He said movement from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip was permitted via Rashid Road and Salah al-Din Road, but warned that approaching the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Shuja’iyya, and “troop deployment areas” would be “extremely dangerous.”
In the Gaza Strip’s south, Adraee said it would also be extremely dangerous to approach the area of the Rafah Crossing, as well as around the Philadelphi Route and “all troop deployment areas” in Khan Younis. He further warned that fishing, swimming and diving in the maritime area along the entire enclave would be “high risk.”
“We warn against entering the sea in the coming days,” he said, adding it was also “prohibited to approach Israeli territory and the buffer zone.”
ShareThousands in Gaza move north as ceasefire goes into effect
Thousands of people could be seen moving north in Gaza in the moments after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire had come into effect.
In a livestream published online by Reuters, a large mass of people could be seen gathered in central Gaza, with the crowd appearing to be waiting at a certain point.
The crowd can then be seen moving north along the Mediterranean coast, with thousands appearing to make their way along the coastline.
Displaced Palestinians attempt to return to the north from central Gaza after a ceasefire went into effect.Mahmoud Issa / Reuters
Many will be returning to their homes, or at least where their homes once stood, in the north, after hundreds of thousands of people were forcibly displaced south. Others will look to reunite with their loved ones — or search for those killed and still buried under the rubble.
ShareCeasefire agreement now in effect, IDF says
Chantal Da Silva and Omer Bekin
The ceasefire agreement has now come into effect in Gaza, the Israeli military has announced.
The IDF announced that the ceasefire came into effect at 12 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET).
It said troops had begun positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire and the expected release of hostages held in Gaza.
The IDF said troops in the Southern Command would remain deployed in the area, however, and would “continue to remove any immediate threat.”
ShareIDF ‘adjusting operational positions’ ahead of ceasefire
The Israel Defense Forces said its troops in the Gaza Strip continued to adjust their “operational positions” overnight ahead of the expected ceasefire.
Under the plan to end the war in Gaza and see hostages released, Israeli forces are expected to withdraw to an agreed-upon line.
The IDF shared footage appearing to show Southern Command troops on the move overnight. As the sun rose, they could be seen stationed in an unidentified area, with Israeli flags hoisted up from military vehicles.
ShareSmoke continues to rise over Gaza ahead of ceasefire
Smoke continued to rise over Gaza this morning as Israeli forces appeared to continue their offensive in the enclave ahead of a looming ceasefire expected to come into effect within 24 hours.
An explosion in Gaza as seen from Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border this morning.Shir Torem / Reuters
Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing over central Gaza in a livestream published online by Reuters, showing the area in realtime.
It comes in the hours after the Israeli government ratified the deal, agreeing on the first phase of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.
ShareU.S. said to be prepping to send 200 troops to Israel for Gaza support
Courtney Kube, Monica Alba and Tim Stelloh
The U.S. military is preparing options to deploy as many as 200 U.S. troops to Israel to support stabilization in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid and security assistance into the enclave, two U.S. officials familiar with the planning said.
The U.S. troops will stay in Israel, where they will support logistics, transportation, engineering and planning, the officials said.
“They will not be in Gaza. No U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza,” one of the officials said.
ShareWitkoff says Hamas had to accept peace deal
Special envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas had to accept Trump’s peace deal at the meeting of the Israeli government focused on “the approval of the hostages release framework,” Netanyahu’s office said on X.
“Here we are today because Hamas had to, they had to, do this deal. The pressure was on them. They were backed up. And you’ve got the bigger army. You were making inroads, and that’s what led to this deal,” Witkoff said in the video, seated at a table with Netanyahu and Jared Kushner.
ShareHow the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal came together 
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Jonathan Allen, Dan De Luce, Monica Alba, Carol E. Lee, Peter Nicholas and Yamiche Alcindor
Trump’s personal touch — both as a heavy hand and a gentle guide — played a pivotal role at key moments in the development of a Middle East peace deal that promises to bring an end to Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, current and former officials in the United States and other nations told NBC News.
Trump announced yesterday that the “first phase” of the plan to end the conflict in Gaza had been agreed to, with a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Trump called it “a great deal” in a brief interview with NBC News this morning. “Everybody is happy,” he said.
The deal accelerated over several crucial moments — Israel’s strike on Qatar, discussions on the sidelines of the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York City and Jared Kushner’s conversations with his father-in-law, these sources said.
SharePalestinians react to news of Gaza peace deal
Palestinians in Rafah praised Arab mediators and Trump for their efforts to end the war, with one man expressing relief that “this genocide against the Palestinian people has been halted.”
Another man said: “We are always responding moment by moment. Honestly, every year feels like 10 years in the history of the Palestinian people.”
ShareIsraeli government approves first part of peace deal to release hostages
The Israeli government has approved the historic deal to end the conflict in Gaza, after a brutal two-year war that has ravaged the Palestinian enclave and sparked a global outcry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Friday local time.
“The government has just now approved the framework for the release of all of the hostages — the living and the deceased,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on X.
Under the terms of the deal, the ceasefire should take effect within 24 hours.
The deal includes the release of all living and dead hostages. Furthermore, Israel is to release 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 Palestinians detained after Oct. 7, 2023.
The agreement also stipulates that Hamas will lay down arms, Israeli troops will withdraw from the territory, and humanitarian aid will be delivered.