Cease-Fire in Gaza in Effect
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Liam Stack reported from Tel Aviv, and Aaron Boxerman from Jerusalem.
The New York Times
The Israeli military said on Friday that a cease-fire had come into effect at noon as its soldiers were repositioning themselves within Gaza, a step that mediators hope will lead to the end of the two-year war.
On Friday, a spokesman for Israel’s Parliament, the Knesset, said President Trump was expected to visit the chamber on Monday. This week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel invited Mr. Trump to give a speech to the Knesset.
Israel agreed to a cease-fire deal with Hamas early Friday morning. As part of the agreement, Hamas would release the remaining hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while Israeli troops would partially withdraw.
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Mideast envoy, said the U.S. military had verified that Israeli troops had withdrawn to the agreed-upon line inside Gaza. That, he said on social media, opened a 72-hour window in which Hamas must hand over the remaining hostages.
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| Where Israel Has Agreed to Withdraw Troops to in Gaza |
Source: Israel Defense ForcesBy Pablo Robles and Samuel Granados
Mr. Netanyahu said in a recorded statement on Friday that the cease-fire deal would allow Israel to bring back the remaining hostages while maintaining its forces in Gaza.
Israel would not compromise on the rest of its demands, he added, including that Hamas lay down its weapons and that Gaza be demilitarized. But Hamas regards disarmament as tantamount to surrender and views armed struggle as a legitimate form of resistance against Israeli control over Palestinian lands.
“If this is achieved the easy way, so much the better. If not, it will be done the hard way,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
The seaside road in Gaza was packed on Friday with thousands of people heading on foot from the south of the enclave to the north. Mousa Rajab, 22, a nursing student, said he and his cousin had decided to start walking to Gaza City as soon as they heard about the cease-fire.
“We just want to see if our homes are still standing,” Mr. Rajab said. “We heard ours was partly damaged, but we have to see it with our own eyes.”
Though previous cease-fires in Gaza have collapsed into renewed fighting, Mr. Rajab was optimistic the war might actually be over this time. “Everything still feels uncertain,” he said. “Will they tell us to leave again? I hope not. I just want this to be the last time we walk this road.”
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| ImageBlack smoke rises behind a hillside of ruined buildings. |
Explosions in Gaza could be seen and heard from Kfar Aza, Israel, on Friday morning.Credit...Amit Elkayam for The New York Times
Avichay Adraee, a military spokesman, said on Friday that the Israeli military would allow Palestinians in southern Gaza to travel along major roads to the north. But he warned people not to approach several areas across Gaza where Israelis troops would remain active, saying those places were “extremely dangerous.”
On Thursday night, the Israeli military said it had struck a site in northern Gaza, which it said was being used by Hamas fighters who “posed an immediate threat” to Israeli troops.
Gaza’s Civil Defense emergency rescue service said the site was a residential building that dozens of people were believed to be in at the time of the strike.
According to a government resolution released on Friday by Mr. Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli military would have to move to new deployment lines inside Gaza by early Saturday. Hamas would then have 72 hours to return all of the hostages, including the bodies of those who have died.
The text also said Israel had authorized the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israel and 1,722 Gazans detained during the war who were not involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, including 22 people who were under the age of 18.
On Friday, the Israeli government issued a list of the prisoners who would be released, including many who were convicted of staging attacks against Israelis. It did not include several high-profile prisoners whose release analysts had expected Hamas would try to secure.
A Hamas office that handles prisoners’ affairs said on Friday that the list was not yet agreed on or finalized.
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