A ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) came into effect on Friday afternoon, prompting thousands of displaced people to return to their homes in the Strip, which was devastated by a two-year war.

Civil Defense in the Gaza Strip reported that Israeli forces had begun withdrawing from several areas they occupied during the war.

The Israeli army said in a statement: “The ceasefire agreement went into effect at 12:00,” adding that “since 12:00 (9:00 GMT), Israeli army forces began positioning themselves on their new deployment lines in preparation for implementing the truce agreement and the return of the hostages.”

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians began heading from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north, attempting to return to areas from which they had been displaced, according to AFP video footage. Cameras captured lines of men, women, and children walking along the coastal road.

Others returned to the ruins of their homes in Khan Yunis in the south, according to footage broadcast by AFP.

Amir Abu Ayyadah, 32, said,"Today we are heading toward our homes to clean them. Despite the destruction, despite the siege we are under, and despite the pain, we are heading to our areas filled with wounds, and we thank God."

He added: "We are happy, we are returning despite the destruction... God willing, the calm will continue and the war will end."

Arej Abu Saada (53 years old) said: “By God, I am happy with the truce and peace, even though I am the mother of two martyrs, a boy and a girl, and I am sad for them, but the truce also has its joy in our return to our homes.”

On Friday evening, Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal said,"Approximately 200,000 people are the number of citizens who returned to the north today."

"In Gaza City alone, 63 bodies were found and transported to hospitals," Basal explained, after paramedics took advantage of the ceasefire to search through the rubble.

72 hours

The Israeli army announced a redeployment of its forces in areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, while warning that several areas remain"extremely dangerous" for civilians.

A civil defense official in Gaza told AFP that Israeli forces had begun withdrawing from several areas in the Strip, particularly from the cities of Gaza and Khan Yunis.

Director of the Humanitarian Support and International Cooperation Department at the Civil Defense, Mohammed Al-Mughair, said,"The occupation forces withdrew from several areas in Gaza City."

He added,"There is a retreat of occupation forces from the south and center of Khan Yunis (south) toward the east of the city." The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday that its forces were preparing to redeploy in Gaza.

With the ceasefire announced, the Foreign Press Association urged Israeli authorities to allow independent access to Gaza, saying there was"no longer any justification" for obstructing entry into the Strip.

US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, confirmed, citing the Pentagon, that Israel had completed its withdrawals under the first phase of the Gaza agreement, and that this had begun the"72-hour period for the release of the hostages." Following this, Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said that the army would maintain control over 53% of the Strip.

In recent weeks, Israeli forces have escalated their military operations in Gaza City, asking residents to leave in preparation for full control.

The ceasefire comes after both sides in the conflict, Israel and Hamas, agreed to the first phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. This followed indirect negotiations in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, with Türkiye also participating.

The first phase stipulates a ceasefire, an exchange of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and Israeli withdrawals.

Trump announced his plan in late September, and both sides accepted it. The 20-point plan, in addition to a ceasefire and the release of hostages, stipulates that Gaza's affairs will be managed by a Palestinian committee of technocrats under the supervision of a"Peace Council" chaired by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hamas will have no role in governing the Strip.

On Friday, the leaders of Britain, France, and Germany called on the UN Security Council to provide"full support" to the US peace plan for the Gaza Strip.

The three countries said in a joint statement:"We commend President Trump's leadership on this issue, the diplomatic efforts of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, and the vital support from the region to ensure the agreement's implementation."

20 living hostages

Trump announced on Thursday that he plans to visit the Middle East on Sunday. He said,"The hostages will be back on Monday or Tuesday. I'll probably be there, hopefully, we plan to travel on Sunday."

He added that he would "try" to visit Egypt when the agreement was "officially signed," and that he had agreed to deliver a speech in the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem on an unspecified date.

The security cabinet approved the agreement last night, and the government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, ratified it early Friday morning.

Netanyahu said on Friday that 20 hostages were still alive in Gaza, while 28 others had been killed, expressing his hope for a"national day of joy" on Monday with the return of all hostages.

In a video address, he explained that of the 48 hostages (47 kidnapped on October 7, 2023, the date of the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war, and a soldier killed in 2014 whose body is being held by Hamas), 20 are alive and 28 have been killed, confirming for the first time the deaths of two hostages (a Nepalese student and an Israeli soldier) whose deaths had not previously been announced by Israeli authorities. The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war have killed 67,194 people, according to figures from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

A Hamas source told AFP on Thursday that Israel will release 2,000 prisoners from Israeli jails, coinciding with"scheduled" withdrawals and the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

On Friday, the Israeli Ministry of Justice published a list of 250 Palestinian prisoners slated for release as part of the exchange agreement. The list does not include the names of several prominent Palestinian leaders who are symbols of the armed Palestinian struggle against Israel and whose release Hamas has demanded, such as Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, and Hassan Salameh.

After Hamas's chief negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, confirmed on Thursday that the movement had received assurances from mediators and the United States that the war was completely over, negotiations now await the second phase of the Trump plan.