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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to resume attacks on Gaza if Hamas is not disarmed, while the ceasefire officially took effect at noon local time, the Israeli army said.
Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for the agreement in his address to the nation following the ceasefire implementation in Gaza.
Netanyahu said all Israeli hostages in Gaza will be handed over following the agreement, claiming Hamas accepted the agreement "due to pressure resulting from the attacks they carried out on Gaza."
Netanyahu said they will work to find and bring to Israel the bodies of dead hostages but gave no details on steps to be taken on this issue. Claiming Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be cleared of weapons, Netanyahu said: "If this (Hamas' disarmament) can be achieved the easy way, great. If it cannot be achieved, it will be achieved the hard way."
The statement constituted a threat to resume attacks on Gaza if Hamas is not disarmed.
The Israeli army said the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip took effect at noon local time following the agreement reached in Egypt.
The army said in a written statement that the partial withdrawal of Israeli soldiers toward points defined as the "yellow line" has been completed. The statement said attacks will continue on targets characterized as "immediate threats" in areas where withdrawal has not occurred.
A state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent on the Israeli side of the border reported that no attacks or explosions occurred in Gaza after the ceasefire took effect. While attacks have stopped, Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) continue to fly in the region.
Israeli hostages are expected to be released by noon Monday, Oct. 13. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israeli hostages in Gaza are to be handed over within 72 hours after the partial withdrawal is completed.
Israeli media reported Palestinians abroad will be allowed to return to the Gaza Strip after a mechanism is established with Egypt.
According to Israeli Army Radio and media reports, the Palestinians who left the Gaza Strip may be granted return permits to the region after the mechanism is formed with Egypt. The mechanism, which will also determine border crossings and the scope of operations, is included in the humanitarian annex of the ceasefire agreement achieved in line with Trump's plan.
According to the ceasefire agreement, the Tel Aviv administration will allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt through the Rafah Border Crossing, with crossings to take place under European Union mission supervision. There will be no restrictions on crossings from Gaza to Egypt.
According to the agreement, 600 aid trucks daily will be delivered to Gaza by the United Nations and international organizations. Humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip will consist of food, medicine and shelter materials.
Aid trucks will reach the northern Gaza Strip using Salah al-Din and Rashid streets.
Israel's gradual withdrawal from some areas of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip revealed the extent of massive destruction in residential neighborhoods and infrastructure, with some areas completely razed to rubble.
Activists and journalists shared images on social media platforms showing unprecedented destruction in some places in Gaza City from which the Israeli army withdrew from its positions.
The images showed tragic scenes of neighborhoods and residences where houses and facilities were leveled by Israel and streets were demolished with bulldozers.
The area around Said Siyam Mosque in Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood in northeastern Gaza was one of the areas where the Israeli army caused severe damage. Residences in the area were completely destroyed due to Israeli army attacks, while some buildings were subjected to artillery fire and rendered uninhabitable.
The Israeli army carried out intense bombardment in many neighborhoods of the city, including Sheikh Ridwan, before beginning its gradual withdrawal to new positions in Gaza Strip.
In the Nasr area in the northwest of the city, images of massive destruction emerged showing thousands of homes completely or partially destroyed and the army leveling all residences.
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