Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Officially Takes Effect

(Emilio Morenatti/AP photo)

The much-anticipated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip has officially taken effect as Israeli troops reposition along “updated deployment lines,” the IDF announced on Friday.

“The Ceasefire Agreement Came Into Effect at 12:00,” the IDF said in an X post. “Since 12:00, IDF troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages. IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat.”

As the troops pulled back, thousands of Gaza residents were seen walking back into the territory toward their abandoned homes, Reuters reported.

Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, an Israeli military spokesperson, told the Associated Press that troops finished the withdrawal to the deployment lines within hours of the ceasefire taking effect.

An Israeli security official, speaking to the AP on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the withdrawal, said the military would control around 50% of Gaza in the new positions.