Israeli troops start pulling back, displaced families start moving towards northern Gaza

We are getting reports that the Israeli military has started to withdraw from significant portions of the Gaza Strip. Families have begun returning to Gaza City from the western part of the residential area towards the main parts, from where they had been forcibly displaced.

Some of the military brigades and divisions have withdrawn from the central part as well. At the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, families have started moving towards the north of the Strip, but they are still waiting to enter the areas in the Netzarim Corridor, where the Israeli army used to operate. They are waiting for the last Israeli tank to leave the region, to enter the territory.

What is controversial is that there has been high activity of Israeli drones, fighter jets and even warships from the early hours of this morning. There has been a series of attacks recorded in the morning at places where people were gathering to go back home.

In first phase of ceasefire, Israel can still redeploy, reoccupy

This first withdrawal of the Israeli troops to a certain line in Gaza is not exactly a big deal, because ultimately, the Israeli army will remain in control of a little over half of the Gaza Strip, and with firepower, they can redeploy, they can reoccupy.

The contentious component of this is allowing in aid. Remember, the partners of Benjamin Netanyahu are the champions of the starvation policy. They did not want withdrawal. They did not want aid. They wanted full occupation.

And then you have the release of Palestinian prisoners. Those are the sticking points. And that’s why a list of the names that will be released has not been published by Israel.

Everything is deliberately vague, on the one hand, to manage the coalition, and on the other to also allow for back-channel discussions that are still ongoing, to fine-tune the details and make sure that implementation happens.

The mediators, especially the Arab and Muslim countries, did not want Israel to be the judge, jury and executioner of allowing aid into Gaza. That was the case in previous ceasefires and Israel went to great lengths to further complicate the entry of humanitarian assistance, of food, of medicine and medical supplies. So, there will be a monitoring mechanism of the various actors by the mediators.

‘Palestinian people want freedom and security’: Displaced Gaza resident

A displaced Palestinian woman in central Gaza says she is very happy about the ceasefire, calling it “a blessing”.

“The most important thing for us is to go back to our homeland, the areas we lived in, even if they are destroyed,” she told Al Jazeera, among other displaced Palestinians walking to the north of the enclave.

“We love our land,” the Palestinian woman added.

She said the people of Gaza “lost everything” and that they needed all the aid they could get – from tents and clothes to food and water. “Enough is enough. Enough to starvation and deterioration,” the woman said. “Palestinian people want freedom and security."

Israel to allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza every day: Report

Israel will allow Palestinian residents of Gaza, who left the enclave during the war, to return home through the Rafah crossing, according to a report by Israel’s Army Radio.

It added that 600 aid trucks, carrying food, medical equipment, shelter supplies, fuel and cooking gas, will be allowed to enter Gaza daily through the United Nations, accredited international organisations and the private sector.

The report said that truck traffic will flow from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip via Salah al-Din and al-Rashid streets.

Gaza residents will be allowed to exit to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, in line with the same mechanism used in the January 2025 agreement, adding that movement is subject to Israeli approval and under the supervision and inspection of the European Union mission.

There will be no restrictions on the number of people leaving Gaza for Egypt. The development means that Gaza residents who left the Strip through Egypt will be allowed to return to Gaza for the first time since October 7, 2023.

The report said that the return would begin only after reaching a coordination mechanism with the Egyptian side.

So still plenty restrictions, but 600 is much better than 60 through the GHF.

Israeli army says Gaza truce deal went into effect at 09:00 GMT

According to a military update, as of 12:00pm local time (09:00 GMT), the Israeli forces “positioned themselves in the latest deployment lines, in accordance with the outline of the ceasefire agreement”.

The Israeli forces “in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to operate to eliminate any immediate threat”, it added.

Gaza residents urged ‘to cooperate and be disciplined’ when aid starts flowing

Gaza’s Government Media Office has issued a “national appeal”, urging people in the enclave “to ensure the success of the humanitarian recovery phase of the ceasefire agreement”.

“We call upon our great Palestinian people to fully cooperate with the governmental and humanitarian agencies,” it said, adding that after months of killings, starvation and destruction, “we realise the extent of the pain they experience in the details of their daily lives, and therefore we deal with this stage with a spirit of national and humanitarian responsibility.

“We affirm that cooperation, discipline, and responding to instructions issued by governmental and relief agencies is the safe way to accelerate and facilitate service efforts provided to our people, and to ensure the gradual and organised restoration of life, in a way that achieves the interest of all and preserves the security and stability of society,” the statement said.

Gaza police say its forces will be deployed to areas Israeli army left

A statement by the Palestinian police forces in Gaza says officers “will fulfil their duties of serving and supporting citizens, and protecting public and private property”.

“We call on citizens to be extremely cautious and vigilant when returning to their homes and residential areas for the presence of suspicious objects, hazardous waste, and unexploded bombs,” it said.

“They should not tamper with them under any circumstances and should inform the relevant authorities so they can safely remove the danger.”

Ceasefire is welcome but no true peace ‘unless root causes are dealt with’: Ashrawi

The “real challenge” in the Gaza ceasefire deal will come after phase one, when the focus turns to reconstruction and governance, said Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian politician and former member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee.

After the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the exchange of prisoners for captives, as well as the entry of food and medical supplies, attention will have to turn to Palestinian unity and ending Israel’s occupation.

“The West Bank is still being targeted by army [and] settlers, while the Israeli government pursues an escalated settlement/annexation agenda,” Ashrawi wrote on X.

“Unless the root causes are dealt with, there can be no real peace or stability,” she said.

We all want to see the end of the genocide in Gaza , the full withdrawal of the Israeli army, a full prisoner exchange & enabling the entry of food, medical supplies, fuel & other vital needs. This is phase one, but the real challenge lies in the reconstruction, governance &…

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) October 9, 2025

 

Palestinians arrested in Israeli military raid on Ramallah; video shows West Bank home demolition

The Israeli military has stormed the occupied West Bank town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, raiding homes and arresting three Palestinian men, the Wafa news agency reports.

Earlier, we reported that Israeli forces had demolished the home of deceased Palestinian man Muhammad Bassam Taha in the town of Qatana, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

Video clips published by Palestinian media outlets on social media show that demolition taking place earlier tonight.

#شاهد| لحظة تفجير قوات الاحتلال منزل الشهيد محمد بسام طه في بلدة قطنة شمال القدس المحتلة، أحد منفذي عملية "راموت" التي أسفرت عن مقتل 7 مستوطنين وإصابة آخرين pic.twitter.com/Unq319uRq5

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) October 10, 2025

Germany wants to organise Gaza reconstruction conference

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says his government seeks to arrange the international conference in a joint effort with Egypt.

The main goal of this conference “should be to address the most urgent needs, such as rebuilding water and energy supplies and medical care”, Merz said in a statement.

As we reported earlier, Germany pledged to provide 29 million euros ($34m) in immediate humanitarian aid for Gaza, following Israel’s ratification of the ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Qatar to spearhead reconstruction, humanitarian efforts in Gaza

We know that yesterday, Qatar’s top diplomat was in Paris meeting other foreign ministers and officials with respect to looking forward after this first phase of the Gaza ceasefire.

If this ceasefire holds – hopefully – the next phase brings with it complications with respect to governance, eventual reconstruction, and things like the disarmament of Hamas.

A statement just released by Qatar states that Doha will be spearheading reconstruction efforts and humanitarian support in Gaza. It said it will include humanitarian grants, and it’s something both the US and Israel have accepted. They’ve accepted Qatar’s leadership in these efforts, interestingly, with respect to future governance and this thorny issue of some sort of interim authority in the Gaza Strip.

This statement said Qatar emphasises local leadership, not outside imposition, which will be crucial for lasting peace. They said Palestinian sovereignty and agency must be respected. Only Palestinians should determine Gaza’s future.

Many Palestinians have reservations about the role of Western countries, especially their role in some form of interim administration in Gaza.

US to have ‘very vague peacekeeping force’ in Israel

Gaza authorities demand immediate war crimes probe, lifting of siege

Gaza’s Government Media Office has released a list of steps that must follow the ceasefire:

Gaza’s children hope for return to childhood during ceasefire: UNICEF

UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram says children in Gaza are “excited” following the ceasefire, as they believe it means they will be able to return to their lives.

“Children were jumping around, celebrating; a little girl hugged me and said, ‘Thank you’. I think that really is the sentiment. Take 13-year-old Maysara from Jabalia who we spoke to. He told us children like him were tired of war, they wanted to return ‘to live our childhood’,” Ingram told Al Jazeera from the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza.

But Ingram said the scale-up of aid to the enclave during the ceasefire was “critical” to allow children to go back to school and receive proper nutrition.

“While the ceasefire does stop the killing and injuring of children, hopefully … what we also need to see is that aid coming in,” she said.

“So, yes, we are making preparations. We have more than 1,300 trucks prepositioned around the Gaza Strip, ready to come in with life-saving supplies for children, and as they enter, we will have more,” Ingram added.

Israeli forces storm occupied West Bank cities of Tubas and Nablus

Amid the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli forces have stormed the cities of Tubas and Nablus in the occupied West Bank.

In Tubas, local sources told the Wafa news agency that Israeli forces stormed the city with several military vehicles from the Tayasir military checkpoint. Soldiers were also deployed in more than one location and pursued a young man.

At the same time, in Nablus, local sources explained that Israeli forces stormed the city from the at-Tur military checkpoint, with the sounds of live bullets reported.

Israeli forces stormed Nablus earlier in the day as well, arresting resident Sidqi al-Aghbar after searching his home.

‘Happiest day of our lives’: Displaced residents return to Gaza City

War-displaced Palestinians in Gaza are hopeful as they head north after the ceasefire with Israel came into effect.

“Of course this is an indescribable day – the happiest day of our lives. Today, the war has ended,” Ali Rihan told Al Jazeera. “We ask the negotiators to complete the negotiations in full and to arrange [for everyone] to return across the entire Gaza Strip, God willing. We are heading home, very happy … May God bless the Arab Republic of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye for their good efforts, and special thanks as well to Trump.”

Another displaced Palestinian, Mahira al-Ashi, said she was overjoyed to be able to return to Gaza City. “By God, when they opened the road, I was so happy to go back … I didn’t sleep all night,” she said. “My family is there. I’ve been waiting to see them and go to them.”

Another returnee, Wael Debabesh, also expressed relief. “I was sleeping in the street – no tent, nothing. I was getting by with the neighbours’ help,” he said. “Now, God willing, there’s a truce, and God willing the war won’t come back – ever, ever. We don’t want wars or any of this. We are a people who seek peace, we are lovers of peace. Now we just want to go back to our homes.”

Gaza City unrecognisable after intense Israeli assault

On the way to Gaza City, as we approached the main entrance on the coastal road, it was already unrecognisable by the vast destruction and devastation of many of the buildings.

During our displacement journey, when we left the city, we counted 15 buildings either partially standing or still fully intact, inhabited by some of the displaced families.

On our way back, we did not see them. We thought we were lost on the road because those buildings were not there, and as we drove deeper inside the city, entire streets were levelled to the ground. Not just the buildings on both sides, but the road itself.

Gaza has turned into an unrecognisable place. The bombs have stopped, but the struggle to survive has not for those returning.

Khan Younis: ‘Nothing is left’

While war-displaced Palestinians are returning in droves to northern Gaza, in the south people picked their way through the dusty moonscape that was once Gaza’s second largest city Khan Younis, which Israeli forces razed earlier this year.

A middle-aged man, Ahmed al-Brim, pushed a bicycle with bundles of scrap timber tied to the front and back. His family will need the firewood to cook. It was all they had been able to recover from the ruins of their home.

“We went to our area. It was exterminated. We don’t know where we will go after that,” he said. “We couldn’t get the furniture or clothes, or anything, not even winter clothes. Nothing is left.”

Thousands of displaced Palestinians began flocking towards their abandoned homes after a US-brokered ceasefire took effect on Friday and Israeli troops began pulling back from parts of Gaza.


Bodies of 7 people recovered from Gaza’s Netzarim

The bodies of seven Palestinians have been recovered from the Netzarim area in central Gaza, a hospital source tells Al Jazeera.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 17 people have been killed and 71 wounded in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours.

Britain, France, Germany call on UNSC to back Trump plan

The leaders of Britain, France and Germany have urged the UN Security Council to support US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, the first stage of which came into effect this morning.

“We agree that the UN Security Council should give its full backing to the plan and support its implementation,” the so-called E3 group of nations said in a statement.

“We pay tribute to President Trump’s leadership on the issue, to the diplomatic efforts of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, and to the vital support from the wider region to secure the agreement.”

The leaders pressed for “substantive humanitarian aid packages through UN agencies” to be delivered “as soon as the ceasefire enters into effect”.

The Associated Press reported earlier that Israel gave the UN the green light to begin delivering aid into Gaza starting on Sunday.

UN official says scaled-up aid deliveries to Gaza to begin Sunday

The United Nations has been given the green light by Israel to begin delivering aid into Gaza starting on Sunday, The Associated Press reports.

A UN official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public, said the aid will include 170,000 metric tons already been positioned in neighbouring countries such as Jordan and Egypt, as humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.

In the last several months, the UN and its humanitarian partners have only been able to deliver 20 percent of the aid needed in the Gaza Strip, according to UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

Sure people can wait another 2 days... The ceasefire better not be over on Tuesday after the prisoner exchange.


UNICEF demands food entry to stop ‘massive spike in child death’

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for Israel to open all crossings for massive aid entry into Gaza, saying children are especially vulnerable because they’ve gone without proper food for long periods.

“The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.

Children’s immunity is low because “they haven’t been eating properly and recently at all for way too long”, he said.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said it expects about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily in the coming days.

“Under the ceasefire arrangement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in addition to up to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s director of emergencies.

_{A Palestinian mother cradles her sick 18-month-old son at the al-Shati refugee camp near Gaza City in July}

UNRWA says 6,000 trucks of aid could reach Gaza in hours

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for all the crossings into the Strip to be opened to allow “a standard flow of humanitarian aid” to Palestinians in need.

“People are hungry and beyond exhausted from two years of war,” UNRWA said in a social media post.