Gaza ceasefire in effect, Israeli military says

Large plumes of smoke billowed into the skies above Gaza on Friday morning, and CBS News’ Debora Patta said Israeli bombs continued to fall on the Palestinian territory right up until the final hours before the military said the ceasefire had taken effect.

Israeli officials had said on Thursday that the ceasefire would take effect immediately upon the government’s approval of the deal, which came late Thursday evening, but the explosions continued for hours after that.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in an Arabic language statement directed at residents of Gaza on Friday that the “Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will remain stationed in designated areas within the Gaza Strip.”

“Do not approach IDF forces in these areas until further notice. Approaching these forces puts you at serious risk,” the spokesperson said. 

An Israeli official told CBS News that Hamas would release all outstanding hostages by noon local time on Monday, which would be 5 a.m. Eastern. 

President Trump said Thursday that all of the remaining Israeli hostages, including the bodies of deceased hostages held in Gaza, would likely be released “Monday or Tuesday” as part of the peace deal. 

Israeli officials believe there are still 48 people held captive in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

The Israeli military said Friday that a ceasefire in Gaza came into effect at noon local time (5 a.m. Eastern)  and that Israeli troops had begun withdrawing from parts of Gaza as part of the first phase of President Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the two-year war and bring home the remaining Israeli hostages.

“Since 12:00, IDF troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office told CBS News’ partner network BBC News that Israeli troops would withdraw to a line leaving them in control of 53% of Gaza in the first phase of the plan. 

President Trump had said Wednesday on his Truth Social platform that Israel “will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line” as the first step towards his 20 point peace proposal to end the war in Gaza.