The Israeli government has approved the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal. It includes an exchange of the hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Al Jazeera is reporting that Israeli forces in Gaza have started to retreat behind the lines agreed to under the deal. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians are streaming from the southern part of the Gaza Strip to the north. On Thursday, Hamas’s exiled Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said all Palestinian women and children will be released, and issued a statement declaring an end to the war.

Khalil al-Hayya: “Today, we announced that we have reached an agreement to end the war and aggression against our people and to begin implementing a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation forces, the entry of aid, the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions and the exchange of prisoners.”

It comes as President Trump announced that the Israeli hostages will be released from Gaza on Monday or Tuesday. Under terms of the deal, 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and another 1,700 Gazans detained by Israel during the war would be released. Meanwhile, the U.S. is sending about 200 troops to Israel to monitor the ceasefire deal.

This is Palestinian Civil Defense member Nouh Al-Shaghnouby, who joined celebrations Thursday in Gaza City.

Nouh Al-Shaghnouby: “Honestly, these are indescribable feelings. We can’t believe it. But thank God the war has ended, and we are alive. Honestly, we hope the war does not come back and for this to be really the end.”

In Tel Aviv, Israelis gathered at the public plaza known as Hostages Square to celebrate news of the ceasefire. This is Udi Goren, cousin of Israeli hostage Tal Haimi, who was confirmed dead in Gaza and whose body is believed to be held by Hamas.

Udi Goren: “Bringing back the hostages is just the first phase of this deal, and rightfully so, finally prioritizing bringing them home before anything else. But after we bring them all home, it’s time to start rebuilding our future.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Army Radio is reporting that 600 aid trucks will be allowed to enter Gaza daily, coordinated by the United Nations and other international aid groups. Tom Fletcher is the U.N.’s top emergency relief coordinator.

Tom Fletcher: “So, here is what we plan to deliver in the first 60 days of the ceasefire. We will aim to increase the pipeline of supplies to hundreds of trucks every day. Food — we will scale up the provision of food across Gaza to reach 2.1 million people who need food aid and around 500,000 people who need nutrition. Famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold, and prevented in others.”