Israel says it will allow Palestinians stranded outside Gaza to return via the destroyed Rafah land crossing on the border with Egypt for the first time since October 7, 2023, after establishing a mechanism with the Egyptian side, Israeli media reported on Friday.
“For the first time since October 7, 2023, Gaza residents who left the enclave from Egypt will be allowed to return to Gaza,” the Israeli Army Radio said.
However, it also noted: “The return of Gaza residents will only begin after a mechanism has been established with the Egyptian side, and then the criteria, scope of work, and the entire process have been determined.”
According to the radio station, the agreement allows 600 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza through the UN, accredited international organisations, and the private sector.
The trucks are expected to deliver food, medical supplies, shelter materials, fuel, and cooking gas.
The agreement also stipulates that the convoys will be permitted to travel freely from southern Gaza to the north using two main routes: Salah al-Din Road in the east and al-Rashid Road in the west.
Israel said the ceasefire agreement went into effect at 12:00pm on Friday, and its military has pulled back to the agreed-upon area known as the Yellow line.
Palestinian officials move in to fill the gap
Meanwhile, the Palestinian interior ministry said on Friday that its agencies will begin to deploy in areas of Gaza vacated by the withdrawing Israeli forces.
“The ministry's agencies will begin to deploy in the areas from which the occupation army is withdrawing in all governorates of Gaza, and will work diligently to restore order and address the chaos that the occupation has sought to spread over the past two years,” the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
Calling on the Gaza residents to comply with directives and instructions over the coming days, the ministry urged people “to preserve public and private property, refrain from any actions that may endanger their lives, and cooperate with police, security, and service officers and personnel.”
The Israeli government approved an agreement to end the war in Gaza and exchange prisoners with Palestinian factions in a statement issued early Friday by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.
Civil defence warning
Gaza's Civil Defence service urged the residents of Gaza City to stay away from areas where Israeli forces are withdrawing from.
“We urge you not to approach or return to areas where occupation forces were present, particularly the border areas of Gaza City, until after an official announcement of the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces and confirmation of this by the relevant authorities,” the General Directorate of Civil Defence in Gaza said on Telegram.
The warning comes as the Israeli army, before beginning its phased pullback, reportedly conducted intense demolition and bombing across several neighbourhoods, including Sheikh Radwan.
A second phase of the plan calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
