"Following the political echelon's instructions and due to situational assessment, the IDF has begun operational preparations ahead of the implementation of the agreement," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
"As part of this process, preparations and a combat protocol are underway to transition to adjusted deployment lines soon."
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday night announced that the militant organization Hamas and Israel had agreed to a first phase of a deal to end the war, reportedly including the Israeli military withdrawal from the Palestinian enclave and the exchange of hostages and prisoners by both sides.
The Israeli military warned that despite the tentative agreement, "the IDF continues to be deployed in the area and prepared for any operational development."
The statement from the IDF came hours after Trump announced the agreement Wednesday night, and before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was present it to the government for approval.
His office said in a statement early Thursday that Netanyahu and Trump had spoken to congratulate one another on "the historic achievement of signing the agreement for the release of all the hostages."
Netanyahu also invited Trump to speak before Israel's Knesset parliament.
An official full text of the agreement's first stage has not been made public, but it reportedly addresses cease-fire issues, the release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawal, humanitarian assistance for Gaza and mechanisms for implementation.
Hamas in a statement confirmed it had reached an agreement with Israel that included "an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation's withdrawal from it, the entry of aid and a prisoner exchange."
It was mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, with negotiations held in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh.
The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a bloody attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostages.
Israel has responded by devastating Gaza, killing more than 67,000 people, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, including more than 20,000 children and 10,000 women. Some 460 died due to starvation and malnutrition.
About 1.9 million, or 90% of Gaza's population, have been displaced due to the war and most of the Palestinian enclave's infrastructure has been destroyed.
The agreement comes as Israel has come under growing accusations of committing war crimes, including genocide, against the Palestinians in Gaza as the war dragged on with Israel continuing to pound the Mediterranean Sea enclave.
Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are subject to arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for charges of using starvation as a method of war.
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's secretary general, said in a Thursday statement that news of the agreement for victims on both sides of the war was "cruelly overdue."
"It will not erase all they have endured," she said. "Many will now be watching closely for proof that this is not just another brief respite."
Related Links
Space War News
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |