The IDF has begun positioning its soldiers along the agreed-upon deployment lines in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect, the military confirmed on Friday.
IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said that IDF troops have deployed to the agreed-upon points "to provide operational defense and control along the Gaza Strip."
"These are moments of heightened alert; IDF soldiers will act to remove any threat to their security, no unnecessary risks will be taken," he added, urging Gazans to stay away from areas of IDF operations.
"This is an emotional moment for the people of Israel and for the soldiers and troops of the IDF who fought and acted over the past two years with courage, bravery, and dedication," said Deffrin.
"More than ever today, we remember the 914 IDF fallen who fell in operations, who fought with great bravery and sacrifice, and the hundreds of civilians and security personnel who gave their lives. We remember today the 20,000 wounded in operations, both physically and mentally, who were injured defending the State and who lost comrades along the way. We must be there for them, to hold them and to assist them in every way."
"The return of the hostages is due to that very bravery and was at the forefront of the minds of each of these soldiers throughout the war," Defrin added. "At this moment, the entire IDF is preparing to receive the hostages. We continue to accompany the hostages’ families and remain in close contact with them.
"Hamas is not the Hamas of two years ago. Hamas has been defeated every place we fought them," Defrin added.
Trump's Gaza deal
US President Donald Trump announced early on Thursday that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
The agreement was announced after intensive talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, where US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner pushed the two parties to an agreement, along with Qatari and Egyptian mediators.
The plan was signed at noon in Egypt, and will come into effect after the Israeli government ratifies it in a vote set for 6 p.m. on Thursday.
The US president promised Qatari and Egyptian mediators, as well as Turkey, that "Israel won't return to fighting."
Twenty living hostages are expected to be released within 72 hours of the deal taking effect. Additionally, Arab reports indicated that Hamas had begun collecting the remains of deceased hostages to return to Israel.
In the immediate wake of the announcement of the deal, the IDF began preparing to shift its deployment lines in the Palestinian enclave after The Jerusalem Post previously reported Israel had reached a full agreement on the maps detailing the military's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.