Israeli military says ceasefire agreement in Gaza started at noon local time

TEL AVIV Israel AP A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip came into effect at noon local time the Israeli military reported Friday adding that troops were withdrawing to agreed-upon deployment lines The announcement came hours after Israel s Cabinet approved President Donald Trump s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip the release of the remaining hostages and of Palestinian prisoners Palestinians broadcasted heavy shelling in parts of Gaza throughout Friday morning The Israeli Cabinet s approval of Trump s plan marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East A brief comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s office early Friday disclosed the Cabinet approved the outline of a deal to release the hostages without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial An Israeli shield official speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the withdrawal revealed the military would control around of Gaza in their new positions Shelling continues through early hours After the Cabinet approval Gaza residents communicated intensified shelling well into Friday morning In central Gaza s Nuseirat refugee camp Mahmoud Sharkawy one of the multiple people sheltering there after being displaced from Gaza City noted artillery shelling intensified in the early hours The shelling has significantly increased this day mentioned Sharkawy adding that low flying military aircraft had been flying over central Gaza In northern Gaza two Gaza City residents described The Associated Press that bombing had been ongoing since the early hours mostly artillery shelling The managing director of Shifa hospital Rami Mhanna revealed the shelling in southern and northern Gaza City had not stopped following the Israeli Cabinet s approval of the ceasefire plan It is confusing we have been hearing shelling all night despite the ceasefire news commented Heba Garoun who fled her home in eastern Gaza City to another neighborhood in the city after her house was destroyed Details of the deal A senior Hamas official and lead negotiator made a speech Thursday laying out what he declared were the core elements of the ceasefire deal Israel releasing around Palestinian prisoners opening the frontier journeying with Egypt allowing aid to flow and Israeli forces withdrawing Khalil al-Hayya stated all women and children held in Israeli jails will also be freed He did not offer details on the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Al-Hayya reported the Trump administration and mediators had given assurances that the war is over and that Hamas and other Palestinian factions will now focus on achieving self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state We declare in current times that we have reached an agreement to end the war and the aggression against our people Al-Hayya mentioned in a televised speech Thursday evening To help sponsorship and monitor the ceasefire deal U S personnel noted they would send about troops to Israel as part of a broader international squad The executives spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release