Israel-Hamas ceasefire : Gaza truce set to begin today with hostage exchange, Israeli forces pull back from Rafah

Israeli forces on Sunday began withdrawing from Gaza’s Rafah to the Philadelphi corridor along the border between Egypt and Gaza ahead of the beginning of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between by Israel and Hamas.

The withdrawal is part of the three-phase ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to bring an end to the 15-month-long war that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, according to data from the Gaza health ministry.

Israel continued to strike Gaza after the deal, accusing Hamas of reportedly reneging on certain aspects of the agreement. Post-deal strikes reportedly killed more than 70 Palestinians, said the Gaza health ministry.

Israel-Hamas ceasefire | Key points

• The first stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement is beginning on Sunday. The first phase will last six weeks, and will see the release of 33 of the the remaining 98 hostages – women, children, men over 50, the ill and wounded – by Hamas in return for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel.
• On Sunday, three female Israeli hostages will be released by afternoon through the Red Cross, in return for 30 Hamas prisoners. Four more female hostages will be freed after seven days, followed by the release of three further hostages every seven days thereafter, said lead US negotiator Brett McGurk.
• In the first phase, the Israeli army will withdraw from some of its positions in northern Gaza and displaced Palestinians from these areas will be allowed to return.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement exposed the fragile nature of the ceasefire agreement. “We reserve the right to resume the war if necessary, with American support,” he said.
• The ceasefire was brokered by US and Qatar. It comes into effect days before the January 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. The Republicans had warned Hamas that there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released swiftly. Trump had also called for a ceasefire deal to be reached swiftly.