Hamas praises Trump but says Tony Blair not welcome in post-war Gaza role – as it happened

8.03pm BST The day so far Donald Trump plans to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, Axios reported. Among those expected to participate are representatives from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. According to a US official, Benjamin Netanyahu will not be present. The summit will likely take place in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday morning, but it could be moved to Monday Former British prime minister Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza, a senior Hamas official said, while praising Donald Trump in securing a peace deal. Speaking to Sky News, Dr Basem Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without Trump but said the US president must continue to apply pressure to Israel to ensure the agreement is not violated. On Blair, he criticised plans for the former UK PM to play a role in the future of Gaza, owing to his role in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel released a list of the Palestinian detainees that it plans to release as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement made with Hamas. Of the 250 Palestinian prisoners, 15 will be released in East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank, and 135 will be deported. Initially, when Hamas officials submitted a list of proposed prisoners to be released to mediators in Egypt, they called for the release of high-profile Palestinian political figures such as Marwan Barghouti. But Netanyahu’s office confirmed it refuses to release Barghouti. Unicef called for all aid routes into Gaza to open and warned that child deaths may spike if not. “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 spokesperson Ricardo Pires. Nutrition support is the main priority, according to Unicef, with 50,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. Unicef also said it has evacuated two of 18 newborn babies from a north Gaza hospital to be reunited with their parents in the south of the region. “I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is fully implemented,” Pires said. Thousands of Palestinian people in Gaza began heading north in the territory after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire came into effect on Friday. In a statement released on Telegram, the IDF said troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines” from midday local time. It marked the first stop in fighting since March. Nearly half a million Palestinians living in north Gaza were displaced by Israel’s military advance into Gaza City, and many were eager to return to their homes. But with more than 90% of homes in Gaza and almost all its infrastructure destroyed or damaged, many who have done so have found their homes and neighbourhoods in ruins. Updated at 8.04pm BST 7.23pm BST Hostage and prisoner release will be a huge challenge, says Red Cross In an interview with the Associated Press, the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that the expected hostage and prisoner release will be more challenging than previous ones given the scale and speed of the operation.Christian Cardon, chief spokesman for the ICRC, said on Friday that while the group is expected to play a role as hostages are released from Gaza and Palestinian prisoners from Israel, it has not been given details in terms of when, how or where the releases would occur.“Our colleagues are preparing themselves for all possible scenarios,” said Cardon.He added that the terms of the deal, which call for the hostages to be released from Gaza within 72 hours, was an “extremely” tight time frame.The ICRC was involved in prisoner and hostage releases in the two previous ceasefires during the war. 6.47pm BST Three British surgeons have told Sky News they were denied entry to Gaza despite the announcement of the ceasefire coming into effect on Friday. Dr Victoria Rose, Dr Alan Graeme Groom and Dr Khaled Dawes – who have all travelled to Gaza multiple times since October 2023 – were scheduled to enter Gaza on Sunday to perform reconstructive and general surgeries at the Nasser hospital complex, where thousands of injured civilians remain without access to essential care. Dr Rose told Sky News: Blocking medical teams at this stage - after a ceasefire - is indefensible. Every delay costs lives. This decision violates basic humanitarian principles and the right to medical access. 6.06pm BST Trump plans summit on Gaza during Egypt visit next week Donald Trump plans to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, Axios is reporting, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter. Among those expected to participate are representatives from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. According to a US official, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be present. The timing of the summit is unclear. According to Axios’s sources it will likely take place in Sharm el-Sheikh on Tuesday morning, but it could be moved to Monday. Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday morning local time, give a speech in the Knesset, and meet hostage families. In the afternoon, he will travel to Egypt to meet Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and participate in a signing ceremony along with with the other guarantors of the Gaza peace deal: Egypt, Qatar and Turkey. Updated at 7.33pm BST 5.57pm BST The UN children’s agency has evacuated two of 18 newborns from a North Gaza hospital to be reunited with their parents further south, it said on Friday. Its attempt to move two of the babies was suspended on Thursday amid an ongoing Israeli military assault on the city, Unicef said, but the children have since been reunited with their parents. Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of Gaza on Friday as a ceasefire took effect. “We had 18 babies in incubators at the beginning of week. Two got moved yesterday,” Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires told a Geneva press briefing, saying the others are waiting in incubators for transfer. “I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is fully implemented,” he said. Israel’s Cogat, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees Gaza aid flows, confirmed that the two babies were transferred late on Thursday in coordination with Unicef. 5.29pm BST A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas for the Gaza Strip has come into effect. The deal is hoped to bring about a pause to Israeli bombardment, a break in the siege and an exchange of captives. Here are the key people linked to the deal: Related: Blair, Kushner, Trump: who are the key people behind the Gaza ceasefire? 5.18pm BST Hamas official thanks Trump for peace deal but says Blair not welcome Former British prime minister Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza, a senior Hamas official said, while praising Donald Trump in securing a peace deal. Speaking to Sky News, Dr Basem Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without Trump but said the US president must continue to apply pressure to Israel to ensure the agreement is not violated. He said: Without the personal interference of president Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war. Therefore, yes, we thank president Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Netanyahu to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering. He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground”. He commented: We believe and we hope that president Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on Netanyahu to fulfil the obligation. First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen. We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen. However, he criticised plans for Blair to play any role in the future of Gaza. Naim added: When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him. We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan. 4.56pm BST A list published on Friday by Israel of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the deal does not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure. Israel views Barghouti and some others as terrorist masterminds who murdered Israeli civilians and has refused to release them in past exchanges. 4.19pm BST British prime minister Keir Starmer has agreed to back “substantive humanitarian aid packages” during the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, along with his E3 counterparts, they have revealed in a statement. The UK, French and German leaders’ statement, after they spoke on Friday, reads: “We welcome the agreement on a ceasefire in the Middle East, the planned release of hostages, and the resumption of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza. “We pay tribute to president Trump’s leadership on the issue, to the diplomatic efforts of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, and to the vital support from the wider region to secure the agreement. “It is now of utmost importance that all parties implement their obligations in full and without delay. “We stand ready to support further talks on the next stages of the plan and to contribute to it. “As part of this effort, we agree that the UN security council should give its full backing to the plan and support its implementation. “We commit to supporting substantive humanitarian aid packages through UN agencies to be delivered as soon as the ceasefire enters into effect.” 3.52pm BST Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his pledge to force Hamas to disarm on Friday in a defiant and combative speech, just an hour after a ceasefire began in Gaza. In a televised address, Israel’s prime minister said he had resisted intense domestic and international pressure to achieve his aim of ensuring “the security of Israel”, lambasted his critics and reiterated a threat to return to war if necessary. “Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt the sword resting on its neck and it is still on its neck … Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised … If this is achieved the easy way, so much the better. And if not, it will be achieved the hard way.,” Netanyahu said. The deal signed early on Thursday and implemented on Friday will lead to Hamas releasing 20 living hostages within 72 hours, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza, and freedom for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Further steps are still unclear. In his address, Netanyahu said that achieving security for Israel meant “breaking the Iranian axis, of which Hamas is a central component”, suggesting that he had achieved this over the 24 months of relentless conflict. Analysts described the speech as “an election speech”. Related: ‘Yes Bibi, or no Bibi’: what does Gaza deal mean for Benjamin Netanyahu’s future? 3.32pm BST Trucks loaded with food and fruit belonging to Palestinian merchants enter the Gaza Strip via Salahaddin Street, south of the Netzarim Corridor. 2.56pm BST Thousands of officers are set to be deployed for US president Donald Trump’s visit to Israel on Monday, Israeli police said. Police staff will be stationed along key points of the president’s planned journey. Trump is expected to be making a short visit to Israel on Monday, where is due to address its parliament, the Knesset. This would mark the first visit there by a US president in almost two decades. He reportedly will not be stopping at Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square over security concerns. However, the president said he would “probably” be in the region when the remaining hostages in Gaza are released. As part of preparation for Trump’s visit, Israeli police said it would have officers deployed all along the president’s planned route to ensure “public safety, order, and smooth traffic flow.” As Israel prepares to welcome U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, the Israel Police is finalizing Operation “Blue Shield 6.” Thousands of police and Border Police officers will be deployed along key routes to ensure public safety, order, and smooth traffic flow during the… pic.twitter.com/Xx6cDx6zBS— Israel Police (@israelpolice) October 10, 2025 2.32pm BST Israel releases list of detainees set to be released, which does not include Barghouti Israel has released a list of the Palestinian detainees that it plans to release as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement made with Hamas. According to Israeli media, of the 250 Palestinian prisoners, 15 will be released in East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank, and 135 will be deported. The BBC reports that initially, when Hamas officials submitted a list of proposed prisoners to be released to mediators in Egypt, they called for the release of high-profile Palestinian political figures such as Marwan Barghouti. The now 66-year-old Barghouti was jailed by an Israeli court in 2002 for his role in planning several killings during the second intifada. However, Netanyahu’s office confirmed it refuses to release Barghouti. Barghouti, who is sometimes compared to Nelson Mandela by his supporters, is a senior figure in Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement. He is seen as one of the few figures who could meaningfully reconcile rival Palestinian factions, and is hugely popular in both the West Bank and Gaza. The IDF said today (10 October) that the ceasefire came into effect at midday. This means Hamas now has a 72-hour period to release all 48 remaining Israeli hostages from Gaza, of which 20 are still believed to be alive. 1.54pm BST Thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun to return home from southern Gaza after a ceasefire came into effect and Israeli troops withdrew to an agreed-upon redeployment line – the first time that fighting has stopped in the devastated territory since March. The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement, which was approved by the Israeli cabinet on Thursday night and begins the first phase of a US-drafted plan to end the war in Gaza, had been activated at noon local time (0900 GMT) on Friday. Under the terms of the plan, Hamas is expected to release the 20 living Israeli hostages within 72 hours, after which Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving long terms in Israeli prisons, as well as 1,700 others detained in Gaza during the war. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed credit for the hostage release, saying in an address on Friday that the “security of Israel” was what dictated his actions in Gaza. “I believed that if we applied heavy military pressure, combined with heavy diplomatic pressure, we would absolutely be able to return all of our hostages,” said Netanyahu, who also thanked the US president, Donald Trump, for his support to achieve the deal. Avichay Adraee, an Israeli Arabic-language military spokesperson, said residents of Gaza could return north via specific routes, while warning them away from areas such as Beit Hanoun and the Rafah border crossing, where troops remained. Israeli bombing in Gaza had intensified on Friday morning up until the ceasefire began. Related: Palestinians displaced to southern Gaza begin journey home as ceasefire comes into effect 1.43pm BST Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is “fulfilling” his promise to bring back all the hostages, during a national address. Netanyahu said that Israel is still “surrounding Hamas from every direction” and said that “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised”. He added: “If this is achieved the easy way - so much the better. And if not - it will be achieved the hard way.” 1.29pm BST Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza began heading north in the territory after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire had come into effect. Israel will reportedly allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza every day, according to a report by Israeli Army Radio. They will also let Palestinians who left the area during the war to return home through the Rafah crossing. In the first phase of the ceasefire, all Israeli hostages will be freed in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. 1.10pm BST Within a few months, the war in Gaza had already made its own addition to the vocabulary of emergency medical assistance with the world’s most heartbreaking acronym: WCNSF, “wounded child, no surviving family”. Over two years of bombardment and famine the problem has worsened, even though in the constant chaos created by Israeli bombing and evacuation orders, which fragment communities and scatter them around the Gaza Strip, it is hard to keep track of children separated from their families. The UN’s child protection agency, Unicef, cited Gaza health ministry statistics from early September, recording 2,596 children who had lost both parents, and a further 53,724 who had lost either their father (47,804) or mother (5,920). There is no data on how many parentless children have also been wounded, but, even as the first phase of a ceasefire deal to end the long war was agreed on Thursday, Gaza has the highest rate of child amputations of any modern conflict. On 13 August, a three-year-old girl, Wesam, was asleep with her five-year-old brother, Zuheir, her pregnant mother, Nour, her father, Moatassem, and her grandparents, when the family house in Gaza City was bombed. Wesam was the only survivor, but sustained serious wounds to her leg and abdomen, including a lacerated liver and kidney, and severe psychological trauma. Unicef said she was in “urgent need of medical evacuation abroad for advanced treatment, particularly to save her left leg from the risk of amputation”. Related: No family, no stability, no social fabric: the anguish of Gaza’s wounded orphans 12.58pm BST Gaza residents have been told that “cooperation, discipline, and responding to instructions” is the safest way to move forward as aid comes into the region. Al Jazeera has reported that Gaza’s Government Media Office has issued a “national appeal”, which asks the people living in the Gaza Strip 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. It added: “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 message also acknowledged the “extent of the pain” of the Palestinian people after months of bombardment, and says it therefore asks the people who live in the Strip to “deal with this stage with a spirit of national and humanitarian responsibility.” 12.42pm BST At least 17 Palestinians have been killed and 71 injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry (whose figures the UN finds credible). The total death toll has risen to 67,211 since 7 October 2023, the ministry said. This comes after it was announced yesterday that a ceasefire and hostage release deal was agreed upon between Hamas and Israel yesterday (9 October. The IDF says that as of midday today (10 October), the ceasefire has come into effect. 12.30pm BST Unicef calls for all aid routes into Gaza to open, and warns of child deaths Unicef has called for all aid routes into Gaza to open and warns that child deaths may spike if not. “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 spokesperson Ricardo Pires. Nutrition support is the main priority, according to Unicef, with 50,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. Pires said children “haven’t been eating properly and recently at all for way too long”, and this is causing them health problems which could have detrimental long-term impacts. “With children, they need to have the right vitamins and the nutrients to develop and be able to cope with temperature changes, or virus outbreaks,” he said. About 600 trucks a day are reported to enter Gaza and deliver aid, as the United Nations has announced its plans to deliver 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid is ready to enter Gaza. It is now seeking a green light from Israel to massively increase help for more than 2 million Palestinians in need. In the last several months, UN and its humanitarian partners have only been able to deliver 20% of the aid needed in the Gaza Strip. As well as providing food, shelter equipment and medical supplies, it hopes to restore Gaza’s water grid and improve sanitation by installing latrines in households, repairing sewage leaks and pumping stations, and moving solid waste from residential areas Unicef also said it has evacuated two of 18 newborn babies from a North Gaza hospital to be reunited with their parents in the south of the region. “I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is fully implemented,” Pires said. Updated at 12.30pm BST 11.47am BST Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the did not listen to those who said it would not be possible to bring the hostages home. While delivering an address to the public on Friday, 10 October, he said “the security of Israel” is what guided his political decisions. “I believed that if we applied heavy military pressure, combined with heavy diplomatic pressure, we would absolutely be able to return all of our hostages,” he said, as reported by the Times of Israel. He later added: “That means achieving the goals of the war, including returning the hostages, removing the ballistic and nuclear threat from Iran that endangered our existence here, and breaking the Iranian axis, of which Hamas is a central component.” Elsewhere in the address, the prime minister also said that the Israeli military is remaining in Gaza to put pressure on Hamas until it disarms. He also thanked his “big friend” US president Donald Trump, saying that diplomatic pressure and military presence is the “powerful combination” that “will cause Hamas to give back all of our hostages, while the IDF remains deep inside the Strip and holds all the key positions.” Netanyahu thanked Trump “for his world leadership, and for his unceasing efforts to put together this plan to bring back our hostages.” Trump, according to the Israeli prime minister, “proved his friendship to our people, to our country” – and was given praise along with the IDF and the loved ones of the Israeli hostages. Updated at 12.12pm BST 11.30am BST Palestinians begin journey north after Israel says ceasefire has come into effect Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza began heading north in the territory after the Israeli military announced that a ceasefire had come into effect on Friday, according to AFP news agency. Here are some of the images coming through to us on the wires: Updated at 12.05pm BST 11.06am BST Israel will reportedly allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza every day, according to a report by Israel’s Army Radio. They will also let Palestinians who left the Gaza strip during the war to return home through the Rafah crossing. The 600 aid trucks will be allowed to flow from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip via Salah al-Din and al-Rashid streets, Al Jazeera reports. The trucks can bring in food, medical equipment, shelter supplies, and fuel – and will be distributed by a combination of United Nations, accredited international organisations and the private sector. The radio report also said that Gaza residents will be able to go to Egypt through the Rafah crossing, similarly to what was allowed during the January 2025 agreement. However, this movement is subject to the approval of Israel and under the supervision and inspection of the European Union mission. 10.36am BST Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reports that Donald Trump is expected to land in Israel at around 9am on Monday, 13 October. The US president is due to arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, where he will be welcomed with a formal ceremony. However, the visit is now going to be shorter than originally planned, due to logistics of organising the trip at such a last minute – according to The Times of Israel. After his arrival, Trump is expected to head straight to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver a speech before the start of the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah – which starts on Monday evening. As per Channel 12, if this timeline is accurate, this means the president will not have time to stop by Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. It was confirmed yesterday that Trump will not be visiting Gaza during his Middle East trip. 10.32am BST IDF says that ceasefire agreement has come into effect Israeli military has said that the ceasefire agreement has come into effect, as troops have now retreated to the deployment lines agreed upon. In a statement released on Telegram, the IDF says troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines” from midday local time. “IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat,” the statement adds. The IDF now has a 53% control of the Strip – most of these areas fall outside urban zones. The agreement outlines that after the start of the ceasefire, Hamas then has 72 hours to release all hostages. Updated at 11.07am BST 10.09am BST Germany has said it will provide €29m (equivalent to around £25m or $34m) in humanitarian relief, after the ceasefire and hostage release agreement was announced. “We are providing 29 million euros for humanitarian aid. Together with Egypt, we will invite to a reconstruction conference for Gaza,” German chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote on X. Germany will continue to provide support: we are making available 29M Euro for humanitarian assistance, together with Egypt we will co-host a reconstruction conference for Gaza and we’re prepared to assume responsibility in the Council of Peace proposed by President Trump. 4/5— Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (@bundeskanzler) October 10, 2025 The chancellor called the agreement “good news” for the people of the Middle East, and thanks US president Donald Trump for his peace initiative, before saying he believes that a two-state solution offers the “best prospects” for peace. “We have a clear compass: Germany is committed to Israel’s existence and security,” he wrote. “We firmly believe that the two-state solution offers the best prospects for a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.” 9.48am BST The British Red Cross said it is prepared to receive and distribute “vital” aid needed in Gaza, and facilitate the safe transfer of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. The network, which is part of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has said the proposed ceasefire and hostage release agreement, which has been ratified by Israel, “offers hope to millions who have faced relentless suffering in Gaza, as well as the hostages and their loved ones who have endured two years of unimaginable pain and despair.” An Israeli official said that, according to the agreement, the ceasefire should begin immediately after the government approval. The Israeli military had 24 hours to pull back its forces to an agreed-upon line. After that period, the hostages held in Gaza would be freed within 72 hours, a government spokesperson said. “The humanitarian needs in Gaza are catastrophic, people need food, water, medicine, but more than anything, people need the fighting to stop, and a chance to heal,” said Béatrice Butsana-Sita, chief executive of the British Red Cross “We hope this marks the beginning of a sustained commitment to recovery, and long-term stability, starting with the immediate and unimpeded delivery of essential aid into Gaza, and the release of all remaining hostages. “The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement stands ready to play its part. In its vital role as a neutral intermediary, the International Committee of the Red Cross is ready to facilitate the safe transfer of hostages taken from Israel and Palestinian detainees. The Palestine Red Crescent Society, supported by the Movement across the region, is prepared to receive and distribute the vital aid so desperately needed across Gaza. 9.46am BST UN aid teams are ready to roll into Gaza with food and shelter, but the big question in the coming hours and days will be whether Israel lifts the impediments to the flow of aid, warned Tom Fletcher, the head of the UN humanitarian aid agency OCHA. Fletcher also said the UN would have to work alongside Hamas to remove blockages to the distribution of aid inside Gaza just as the UN has to make pragmatic decisions about the distribution of aid all round the world. Fletcher told BBC Radio 4 he was “in very close touch with the Israeli authorities to make sure those obstacles, those impediments are now removed. We need all the crossings to be open. We need safe routes for our convoys. We need our people protected. Hundreds of my colleagues have been killed in the last two years. We need the removal of red tape, and physical barriers. We need the power back on to our bakeries, our hospitals, our water stations.” He also called for the international media to be let back in to hold the UN to account for saving lives. Fletcher is a former chief foreign policy adviser to three UK prime ministers, and is likely to be a critical diplomatic conduit in the weeks ahead. Asked about whether the UN was prepared to work with Hamas to distribute aid, he said: “Our major priority is to get that aid to civilians where it is most needed. Here in Gaza, as everywhere, we have to work in a neutral, impartial, independent, principled way. Everywhere we work we always have to negotiate access with whoever is on the ground but we should not have to ask to get to civilians. We will work with everyone we have to work with to get pass the blockages, whether those are on the border or the armed groups inside Gaza to reach the communities that need support right now.” He said the UN had a 60-day plan ready to roll, adding: “We have fought and beaten famines before, and we will do it again this time.” He said objective number one was to get hundreds of truckloads of high nutrition food in so that Gaza is flooded with food, generosity, and aid. He said the UN had 172,000 metric tonnes of food and medicine, “all cleared, pre-positioned, ready to go in at the crossings”. Water was needed for 1.4 million people and preparations needed to be made for the winter ahead, requiring the supply of thousands of tents. He said: “The real breakthrough is when the hostages are home, when children are fed, and when they can sleep without terror under a roof without fear of being bombed and maimed and they can be operated on using anaesthetic and they can go back to school.” He said the aim was to get 700,000 school-age children into some form of education and supplied with books, pens and papers. It will be early test of the ceasefire whether past Israeli objections to the UN supply of aid is lifted, and whether UN Palestinian rights agency UNRWA, separate from OCHA, is allowed to start operating again. UNRWA has been accused by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, of being “perforated by Hamas” and banned by Israel. Unrwa denied the allegations and was cleared by UN investigators. As yet there has been little mention of the return of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the hugely controversial alternative aid distribution mechanism set up by Israel designed to bypass what Israel said was food looting by Hamas, near whose sites hundreds Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops. Updated at 9.47am BST 9.33am BST The IDF has reportedly started its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and is adjusting to the deployment lines outlined in the ceasefire agreement, as displaced families are making their way to Gaza City. According to the BBC, an IDF radio reporter has written on X that the military estimates troops will be at the deployment positions set out in the agreement by noon local time. A spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister’s office has said the IDF will withdraw to a point where it has 53% control of the Strip – most of these areas are outside urban zones. This comes as Al Jazeera has reported activity of Israeli drones, fighter jets and warships from the early hours of this morning. The outlet is also reporting that several displaced families are now attempting to make their way back to Gaza City. As they are moving toward the north of the region, they are still reportedly waiting to enter the areas in the Netzarim Corridor, where the Israeli army used to operate. 8.57am BST Here are some of the latest images from Gaza coming through our wires: 8.25am BST Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner after a government meeting to approve the US-brokered deal to release all hostages and implement a ceasefire in Gaza. 8.16am BST The Times of Israel reports that Gaza’s civil defence service has issued a warning to Palestinians not to approach the areas where the Israeli forces are present, particularly towards the border, until the IDF has officially announced their withdrawal and officials confirm this. “Violating this warning puts your life at risk,” the statement, distributed on Telegram, read. “We urge everyone to comply for your safety, and to facilitate the work of emergency teams and field authorities.” Updated at 8.21am BST 8.00am BST No plans for British or European troops to be in Gaza, UK foreign seretary says There are no plans for British or European troops to be in Gaza after the ceasefire agreement, the UK’s foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said. “That’s not our plan, there’s no plans to do that,” she said on Friday morning to BBC Breakfast. She added: “But there is an immediate proposal for the US to lead what is effectively like a monitoring process to make sure that this happens on the ground, to oversee the process with hostage release, and also making sure that this first stage is implemented, getting the aid in place, but they have also made very clear that they expect the troops on the ground to be provided by neighbouring states, and that is something that we do expect to happen.” Cooper said she hopes the ceasefire will be implemented “immediately”. According to the foreign secretary, there are international discussions on an “international security force” and the UK was continuing to contribute in other ways, including looking at getting private finance into Gaza. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Cooper later added: “This has to be the beginning of the end of the war, and the delivery of a just and lasting peace, of security for Palestinians and Israelis alike. We’ve had two agonising years of suffering, tens of thousands of lives lost, hostages being held far away from their families for two years.” Updated at 8.53am BST 7.58am BST Israel’s government approves deal for hostages’ release as US troops to ‘oversee’ truce Israel’s government has ratified a plan for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in a key step towards ending the devastating two-year war. Senior officials in Washington said a US military team of 200 people would be deployed in the region to “oversee” the truce after Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of the Trump administration’s plan to halt the fighting. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the cabinet early on Friday approved the “outline” of a deal to release all the hostages – living and dead – without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are contentious. An Israeli official said that, according to the agreement, the ceasefire should begin immediately after the government approval. The Israeli military had 24 hours to pull back its forces to an agreed-upon line. After that period, the hostages held in Gaza would be freed within 72 hours, a government spokesperson said. Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the ceasefire deal was announced, while there was joy but also anxiety in Gaza amid fears the new deal could collapse. In other key developments: Hamas’ exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya said he had received guarantees from the US and other mediators that the war was over. The head of the US military’s Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, would initially have 200 people on the ground, a senior US official said. “His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations.” Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and probably Emirati military officials would be embedded in the team, the US official said. A second official said that “no US troops are intended to go into Gaza”. Israeli strikes continued in the hours leading up to the Israeli cabinet’s vote. Explosions were seen on Thursday in northern Gaza, and a strike on a building in Gaza City killed at least two people and left more than 40 trapped under rubble, according to Palestinian civil defence. At least 11 dead Palestinians and another 49 who were wounded arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said. Israel was hitting targets that posed a threat to its troops as they reposition, said an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Hamas blasted Israel over the strike, saying Netanyahu was trying to “shuffle the cards and confuse” efforts by mediators to end the war. Twenty Israeli hostages are still believed to be alive in Gaza, while 26 are presumed dead, and the fate of two is unknown The Trump administration broader 20-point ceasefire plan includes many unanswered questions, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm. But both sides appeared closer than they have been in months to ending the war, which was triggered by Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage, promoting an Israeli response that has left more than 67,000 Palestinians dead and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Al Jazeera reports that the US military will set up a task force of 200 troops, although they will not be entering the enclave, White House sources say. The IDF said Mordechai Nachmani, a 26-year-old reservist soldier, was killed in a Hamas sniper attack in Gaza City on Thursday afternoon. This came after Israeli and Hamas negotiators signed a deal in Egypt to secure the release of the hostages, however the ceasefire part of the agreement had not yet taken place. Israeli outlet Haaretz has published the names of Palestinian prisoners it believes could be released as part of the new deal. 250 Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences are expected to be released as part of the agreement, out of approximately 290 currently held in Israeli prison. 22 children will also be freed.