Thousands of Palestinians were seen heading north in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning following the announcement of a ceasefire by the Israeli military, according to footage obtained by AFP.
The truce, which reportedly took effect at 9:00 a.m. GMT, prompted an immediate movement of displaced families eager to return to their homes after weeks of intense bombardment.
Scenes broadcast on international news networks showed long queues of men, women, and children walking along the coastal highway, many carrying their belongings in bags and carts amid visible signs of exhaustion and relief.
The ceasefire comes as the first tangible payoff of a bold diplomatic push by United States President Donald Trump, who in recent days announced a new peace initiative to end the war in Gaza.
Trump stated via his social platform that both Israel and Hamas had signed off on the first phase of his 20-point peace plan, which aims to halt hostilities, free hostages, and begin a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Under the terms of the agreement, Israel is to partially withdraw its troops to a previously agreed line, relinquishing control over parts of Gaza, Hamas is to release the remaining hostages—an estimated 48 in total, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive within 72 hours of ceasefire implementation.
Israel, in turn, will also free hundreds of Palestinian detainees, including 250 life-sentence prisoners and 1,700 others arrested since the conflict began, and, a key crossing between Egypt and Gaza is to be reopened to facilitate humanitarian access.
Trump hailed the deal as “historic” and pledged to support full implementation, with substantial involvement from regional mediators like Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey.
