{"id":22851,"date":"2025-10-10T15:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=22851"},"modified":"2025-10-10T15:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T15:04:10","slug":"israel-ceases-fire-and-gazans-begin-trek-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=22851","title":{"rendered":"Israel ceases fire and Gazans begin trek home"},"content":{"rendered":"
Israel declared a ceasefire and began pulling back its troops in Gaza on Friday, as thousands of displaced Palestinians started trekking back to their ruined homes after two years of war.<\/p>\n

The truce, pushed by US President Donald Trump, raised hopes among families of Israel\u2019s remaining hostages that the guns would finally fall silent.<\/p>\n

The Israeli army said its forces stopped firing at noon (0900 GMT) \u201cin preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.\u201d Three hours later, the Pentagon confirmed Israel had completed the first stage of its withdrawal, though Israeli forces still hold around 53% of Gaza.<\/p>\n

Read More: Hamas, Israel sign ceasefire deal, rekindling hopes for peace in Gaza<\/p>\n

The pullback triggered a 72-hour countdown for Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in the enclave. Israel, meanwhile, published a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans it plans to free as part of the exchange.<\/p>\n

As calm returned, long lines of Palestinians \u2014 exhausted by bombardment and what the U.N. had warned were famine conditions \u2014 began walking north from Khan Yunis toward their shattered homes.<\/p>\n

The European Union mission at Rafah will reopen a pedestrian crossing with Egypt on October 14, Italy said.<\/p>\n

Under the deal, Hamas will hand over 47 hostages, both living and dead, from the 251 seized in its October 7, 2023 attack. The remains of one hostage held since 2014 are also to be returned.<\/p>\n

Gaza\u2019s civil defence agency said Israeli troops and armoured vehicles were retreating from positions in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Israel cautioned that some areas remained off-limits while its forces \u201cadjust operational positions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli army soldiers gather near infantry-fighting vehicles (IFVs) at a position along the Israel-Gaza border fence on October 10, 2025. Gaza’s civil defence agency said October 10 that Israeli forces have begun pulling back from parts of the territory, particularly in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. PHOTO: AFP<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going back to our areas, full of wounds and sorrow, but we thank God for this situation,\u201d said Ameer Abu Lyadeh, 32, in Khan Yunis.<\/p>\n

Before dawn, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government had approved the framework for the hostage-release deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago, the Simhat Torah holiday became a day of national mourning,\u201d Netanyahu said. \u201cThis Simhat Torah, with God\u2019s help, will be a day of national joy, celebrating the return of our brothers and sisters held hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite celebrations in both Israel and Gaza, major issues remain unresolved \u2014 including Hamas\u2019s disarmament and Trump\u2019s proposed transitional authority for Gaza. Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Araby TV the group rejects the idea.<\/p>\n

Palestinians make their way along Al-Rashid road toward Gaza City from Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on October 10, 2025. PHOTO:AFP<\/p>\n

Also Read: Gaza newborns share oxygen masks as strikes kill women, children in third year of war<\/p>\n

Trump said Hamas\u2019s surrender of its weapons would be addressed in the second phase of his peace plan.<\/p>\n

Gaza civil defence official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said Israeli forces had withdrawn from Tel al-Hawa and Al-Shati camps in Gaza City, and parts of Khan Yunis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy about the truce and peace, even though I lost a son and daughter,\u201d said Areej Abu Saadaeh, 53, walking home amid rubble and dust. \u201cThe truce also brings joy \u2014 we are returning to our homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some areas remain ‘extremely dangerous’<\/p>\n

The Israeli military said several areas across Gaza remain “extremely dangerous” for civilians, as thousands of people headed north with a ceasefire taking effect on Friday.<\/p>\n

“Movement from south to north in the Gaza Strip will be permitted via the Rashid (coastal) and Salah al-Din routes,” the military said.<\/p>\n

It said that people should avoid northern areas including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shujaiya and any locations where troops were heavily deployed. Civilians were also warned to stay away from the Rafah crossing and Philadelphi Corridor near the border with Egypt, and any troop concentrations in the Khan Yunis region.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Israel declared a ceasefire and began pulling back its troops in Gaza on Friday, as thousands of displaced Palestinians started trekking back to their ruined homes after two years of war. The truce, pushed by US President Donald Trump, raised hopes among families of Israel\u2019s remaining hostages that the guns would finally fall silent. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22851\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}