The Israeli army announced in a statement that the ceasefire went into effect at 12 noon on Friday.

Against this backdrop, troops began retreating to positions identified by the agreed Trump plan.

The statement reads: “The Ceasefire Agreement entered into force at 12:00 noon. As of 12:00, Israel Defense Forces troops began deploying along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops in the Southern Command have been deployed to the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat.”