Oct. 10: Hostage families gather to hopefully mark final Shabbat without their loved ones

The military says a map shown earlier by IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin of the new lines of deployment in the Gaza Strip is an illustration, and not the exact positions where troops are stationed.

“The IDF is positioned along the deployment lines in accordance with the agreement,” the military says, adding that “the deployment of forces is determined based on a situation assessment, in accordance with the agreement and an analysis of all variables.”

The military declines to provide further details on its deployment in the Strip.

The yellow line seen in the map, as drawn out by mediators, encompasses over half of the Strip’s territory, or 53% — most of which is outside of urban areas. In reality, the IDF is not holding all of that territory with ground troops, with many of its posts positioned closer to the Israeli border.

This map published by the IDF on October 10, 2025, shows the IDF’s deployment in Gaza following a ceasefire. (Israel Defense Forces)

5:39 pm

Gazan officials thank Trump for securing ceasefire, invite him to visit the Strip

Ayed Abu Ramadan, head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce. (Courtesy)

A group of local officials in Gaza, led by Ayed Abu Ramadan, head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter today to US President Trump thanking him for bringing about the end of the war in Gaza.

The letter, which was obtained by The Times of Israel, states: “We wish to express our sincere gratitude for your leadership and unwavering commitment to ending the war in Gaza… Your efforts have restored to us the most vital thing — hope.”

Among those who signed on to the letter were Yahya al-Sarraj, the mayor of Gaza City; economist Soufian Odeh; and other business and academic figures.

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, October 9, 2025, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The officials call not only for the reconstruction of the Strip, but also for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions.

In the letter, the officials invite Trump to visit the Gaza Strip, writing: “We would be deeply honored to welcome you to Gaza to witness firsthand the resilience of our people and the renewal your leadership has helped make possible.”

5:33 pm

IDF says it seized Hezbollah weapons cache, demolished building in southern Lebanon

Israeli troops demolished a building in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab where a cache of weapons belonging to the Hezbollah terror group was located, the military says.

The IDF says reservists of the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade scanned the building early this morning following intelligence information that it was being used by Hezbollah.

The soldiers seized the weapons being stored in the building before blowing it up, the army says.

במסגרת פעילות של לוחמי מילואים מחטיבה 300, הושמד הבוקר מבנה בו אותרו אמצעי לחימה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב עייתא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון.

בעקבות הכוונה מודיעינית, הלוחמים סרקו את המבנה לפני השמדתו והחרימו את אמצעי הלחימה שאותרו בו.

פעילות ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במבנה היוותה הפרה… pic.twitter.com/Mpn4v1wjN9

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 10, 2025

5:25 pm

UNICEF calls for all Gaza aid crossings to open, warns child deaths could still grow

The United Nations children’s charity UNICEF calls for all crossings for food aid into Gaza to be opened, saying children in the territory are especially vulnerable because they have gone without proper food for long periods.

“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,” says UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.

Children’s immunity is low because “they haven’t been eating properly and recently at all for way too long,” he adds.

5:12 pm

IDF says it finished preparations to receive hostages, expanded Re’im facility where they are first brought to

A room at the IDF's Re'im base which has been prepared for the return of the hostages held by Hamas, in a handout photo issued on October 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says it has completed its preparations for the return of the hostages set to be released by Hamas after more than two years of captivity in the Gaza Strip.

As part of the preparations by the Personnel Directorate and Technology and Logistics Directorate, a facility at the IDF’s Re’im base — where released hostages have been brought to previously — has been expanded, the IDF says.

At the Re’im facility, the released hostages will undergo an initial physical and mental health checkup, and reunite with family members.

The IDF has said it is prepared to handle the simultaneous release of all 20 living hostages if Hamas chooses to free them all together.

Later, the hostages and their families will be taken to hospitals in central Israel for additional treatment and to meet other family members.

Hostages requiring immediate medical attention will be airlifted to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba without going through the Re’im facility.

⁠The bodies of slain hostages are set to be received by troops in Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their honor. They will then be taken to be identified by forensic experts.

4:46 pm

Netanyahu criticizes Nobel Committee, says Trump deserved to win peace prize

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu takes to his official English-language X account to criticize the Nobel Committee for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to someone other than US President Donald Trump.

“The Nobel Committee talks about peace,” he writes. “President @realDonaldTrump makes it happen.”

“The facts speak for themselves,” he asserts. “President #Trump deserves it.”

Yesterday, days after the Nobel Committee decided on the winner of the peace prize, Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image of Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Give [Donald Trump] the Nobel Peace Prize — he deserves it,” read the caption.

The Nobel Committee talks about peace. President @realDonaldTrump makes it happen.
The facts speak for themselves. President #Trump deserves it.#PeaceThroughStrength https://t.co/hnvyfy2TaN

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 10, 2025

The prize was awarded earlier today to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

4:20 pm

In first since last truce collapsed, Hamas’s internal security forces seen on streets of Gaza

Operatives belonging to Hamas’s internal security apparatus have started deploying in parts of the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire with Israel came into effect earlier today, footage published by Hamas-affiliated media outlets shows.

The operatives are wearing uniforms identifying them as members of Hamas’s Internal Security apparatus, which is tasked with maintaining order in the Gaza Strip.

The footage appears to show that only a small number have deployed so far.

This is the first time since the previous ceasefire that Hamas operatives have been seen openly in pubic.

כלי תקשורת המזוהים עם חמאס מפרסמים תיעוד של פעילים במנגנוני הביטחון שהחלו להתפרס ברצועה לטענתם. כרגע לא נראה תיעוד נרחב. וגם טרם נראו הטנדרים עם פעילי הזרוע הצבאית שנראו בהפסקת האש הקודמת. pic.twitter.com/1TJbdMZysj

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 10, 2025

4:09 pm

Detained flotilla activist attacked prison guard, lightly injuring her, prison service says

By Charlie Summers

Another detained Gaza flotilla activist attacked a prison guard earlier today, the Israel Prison Service says.

The activist was being admitted to Givon Prison in central Israel earlier today when she allegedly assaulted the guard, lightly injuring her. She was treated at the scene.

The activist was quickly subdued by other guards and a complaint was filed with the police, prison officials add.

Meanwhile, police prosecutors have reached a plea deal with Spanish flotilla activist Reyes Rigo Cervilla, accused of biting a dental assistant in Ketziot Prison during a check-up ahead of her deportation, which was delayed pending legal proceedings.

Pleading guilty, the 56-year-old woman was convicted of aggravated assault and will be deported from Israel tomorrow, her lawyer says.

3:54 pm

Smotrich credits himself with bringing about new hostage deal, which he voted against, in lengthy diatribe against Eisenkot

Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich publishes a four-minute-long video berating former National Unity lawmaker and ex-IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, after the latter criticized Smotrich’s party for voting against the ceasefire and hostage release deal overnight.

Eisenkot, in a post on X, did not mention Smotrich or his Religious Zionism party by name, but said that the ministers who voted against the deal were displaying “shameful leadership” by voting to abandon the hostages who were “abducted on their watch.”

The citizens of Israel “deserve ministers who prioritize the good of the people and the state, who strengthen Jewish values and commit to the Israeli ethos,” Eisenkot had stated.

שלום גדי אייזנקוט. מועדים לשמחה. תקפת אותי הבוקר במילים קשות כי התנגדתי אתמול לעסקת שחרור המרצחים. קראת לי תת-הנהגה. אני מניח שניסית להתכתב עם המונח תתי-אדם של חברך לאופוזיציית השנאה והפילוג, יאיר גולן.

נתחיל מזה, שאתה ביום כזה היית אמור להתכסות בדום שתיקה, להצטער, להתבייש,… pic.twitter.com/7HfRoK92Am

— בצלאל סמוטריץ' (@bezalelsm) October 10, 2025

Smotrich, in a lengthy response filmed inside his sukkah, says that Eisenkot should be “ashamed” and “ask for forgiveness” for doubting that the government would be able to fulfill its goals of destroying Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip while also being able to recover all the hostages.

“For months, you have been preaching to the State of Israel to surrender to the worst of its enemies. You have been preaching to us to withdraw to the lines of October 6, to allow Hamas to remain in the Gaza Strip,” decries Smotrich. “If, God forbid, we had listened to you, there would have been no chance in the world that we would have reached this great achievement.”

More than that, Smotrich says, Eisenkot should actually thank him for refusing to vote against previous deals, as it is his refusal that led to Israel being able to sign onto Trump’s plan — which he also refused.

He justifies his refusal, however, by saying that he voted against the deal because he believes that Israel is making a “terrible mistake” by agreeing to “empty the prisons of terrible terrorist murderers,” and that somebody needs to represent the families of the terror victims whose murderers will now be released from prison.

He accuses Eisenkot of deciding to “run away from responsibility” when he resigned from the war cabinet in June 2024, and choosing instead to “engage in petty politics, while our hostages are languishing in tunnels, while our fighters are sacrificing their lives in Gaza.”

Eisenkot’s son, Gal, was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023, and his nephew, Maor Cohen Eisenkot, just days later.

Smotrich, who has been vocally opposed to establishing a state commission of inquiry into the political and military failures surrounding the October 7 assault, tells Eisenkot that real unity is found in “taking responsibility.”

3:01 pm

Visibly moved IDF spokesman says Gaza ceasefire is ’emotional moment’ for all of Israel

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin speaks at a press conference following a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after two years of war, October 10, 2025. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)

In a tearful statement at a press conference, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip “is an emotional moment for the people of Israel and for the IDF troops and soldiers who have fought and acted over the past two years with courage, bravery, and out of a sense of mission and dedication.”

Defrin shows the IDF’s current deployment in the Gaza Strip as part of the deal, and says that troops “will act to eliminate any threat to their security, no risks will be taken.”

This map, published by the IDF on October 10, 2025, shows the IDF’s deployment in Gaza following a ceasefire. (Israel Defense Forces)

“We will do everything possible to protect the security of the residents of the western Negev, the south and the entire country,” he says.

“On the morning of Simchat Torah, about two years ago, on October 7, the most important contract with the citizens of Israel was violated. We weren’t there for Israeli citizens at their most difficult time,” Defrin says.

“Since then, under the leadership of the Southern Command, along with all wings and directorates of the IDF, we have not stopped for a moment, and we never will. A brave generation of Israel’s heroes stands firm as a barrier between the citizens of Israel and every enemy,” he says.

Asked whether Hamas still poses a threat to Israel, Defrin says: “Hamas today is not the Hamas of two years ago; Hamas has been defeated everywhere we fought it.”

2:53 pm

Israel’s hostage envoy, head of Red Cross in Israel meet in preparation for hostages’ release

Government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch wraps up a conversation with the head of the Red Cross in Israel, Julien Lerisson, the Prime Minister’s Office tells The Times of Israel.

They discussed preparations for the release of the hostages, expected to take place early next week.

“In recent hours, intensive discussions have been taking place between Israeli security officials and representatives of the Red Cross as part of the preparations for the reception of the hostages and the release of the prisoners,” says the PMO.

2:50 pm

Mid-level Israeli negotiating team staying in Egypt to negotiate second phase of Gaza deal

An Israeli negotiating team made up of mid-level professionals remains in Sharm el-Sheikh to continue moving the newly signed Gaza deal forward, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

“Right after the release of the hostages,” the focus will be on the second phase of the deal, including Hamas disarmament and the governance of Gaza, says the official.

2:47 pm

Hamas claims it has not yet agreed to the list of Palestinian prisoners Israel has said it will release

Hamas’s Prisoners’ Ministry claims that, despite the publication of the list of Palestinian security prisoners due to be released by Israel in exchange for the hostages, no final agreement has been reached regarding which prisoners will be freed.

Earlier, Al-Arabi TV reported, citing sources, that the list published in Israel does not include names that had been agreed upon by mediators.

2:43 pm

Trump to meet freed hostages at the Knesset Monday, won’t visit Hostages Square due to security concerns

US President Donald Trump and Finland's President Alexander Stubb (not in picture) meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, October 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump is slated to arrive in Israel on Monday morning, an Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.

He will go to the Knesset to deliver an address and will meet freed hostages, the official says.

However, because of security issues, Trump will not visit Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.

There was a phone call between the Israeli and American sides around noon today, in which Trump’s team said it “would be an in and out” visit, says the official.

2:33 pm

CENTCOM confirms IDF withdrawal to new Gaza deployment lines

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that the IDF completed its withdrawal to the new agreed-upon deployment lines in Gaza, US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff says on X.

“The 72-hour period to release the hostages has begun,” he adds.

CENTCOM has confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time. The 72 hour period to release the hostages has begun.

— Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (@SEPeaceMissions) October 10, 2025

2:26 pm

White House accuses Nobel Committee of being political after Trump misses out on peace prize

US President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable meeting on antifa in the State Dining Room at the White House, October 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The White House on Friday criticized the Nobel Prize committee’s decision to award the peace prize to a Venezuelan opposition leader instead of US President Donald Trump.

“President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X.

“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”

2:21 pm

EU-monitored pedestrian crossing on Gaza-Egypt border to reopen next week, Italy announces

By AFP

Paramedics and ambulances wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on January 18, 2025, to enter into Gaza once the ceasefire-hostage release deal comes into effect. (Photo by AFP)

An EU mission at the Rafah border point between Gaza and Egypt will resume following the ceasefire, with the pedestrian crossing due to reopen on October 14, Italy says.

The EUBAM monitoring mission is intended to provide a neutral, third-party presence at the key crossing and involves police from Italy, Spain and France. It was deployed in January but suspended in March.

In a statement, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto says he has authorized the resumption of Italian operations within the EU mission for the reopening of the crossing under the same conditions as in January.

It follows the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas under a truce and hostage-release deal proposed by US President Donald Trump.

“On October 14, 2025, in compliance with the Trump agreement, in coordination with the European Union and the parties, the Rafah crossing will be opened alternately in two directions, exiting towards Egypt and entering towards Gaza,” Crosetto says.

He says Israel was “working to restore the logistical functionality of the crossing’s infrastructure as quickly as possible.”

Unlike in January, when the EU said the main objective of the mission was to coordinate and facilitate the daily transit of up to 300 wounded and sick people, Crosetto says: “The passage of personnel will not be limited to serious medical cases, but will be extended to anyone who wishes (subject to the mutual approval of Israel and Egypt).”

The EU set up the civilian mission in 2005 to help monitor the Rafah crossing, but it was suspended two years later after the Palestinian terror group Hamas overthrew the Palestinian Authority and took control of Gaza.

2:05 pm

Israel publishes list of 250 Palestinian prisoners it will release; Islamic Jihad commander behind 3 suicide bombings to go free

By Charlie Summers and Nurit Yohanan

Israel has published the full list of 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences slated for release as part of the hostage-ceasefire agreement.

The list, published by the Justice Ministry, comes the morning after the cabinet approved the US-backed deal, aimed at returning the remaining hostages and permanently ending the Gaza war.

Of the 250 prisoners, 15 will be freed to East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank and 135 are slated for deportation.

Some last-minute changes to the list were approved this morning, after negotiators agreed to swap 11 Fatah-affiliated prisoners with Hamas-affiliated ones.

Although Hamas demanded the release of the prominent Fatah figure Marwan Barghouti, in jail for planning deadly terror attacks during the Second Intifada, he is not included on the published list.

Popular Front leader Ahmad Sa’adat, as well as senior Hamas figures Ibrahim Hamed and Hassan Salameh, are also not slated for release, despite reported pressure from Hamas negotiators.

In addition to the security prisoners, another 1,700 Gazan detainees arrested after, but not involved in the Hamas-led October 7, attack, will be freed back to the Strip or exiled abroad.

The prisoners are only expected to go free after a 72-hour period in which all hostages, living and dead, are to be released.

Among those whose names appear on the list for release is Iyad Abu al-Rub, commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Jenin area of the West Bank. He is responsible for orchestrating and overseeing a number of terror attacks, including a suicide bombing in Shadmot Mechola in June 2003, a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv in February 2004 and a suicide bombing in Hadera in 2005. In total, 13 people were killed across the three attacks.

Also due to be released are Muhammad Zakarneh, a Fatah operative who planned the 2009 attack in which taxi driver Grigory Raginovich was murdered, and Muhammad Abu al-Rub, who in 2017 carried out a stabbing attack that killed Reuven Shmerling.

In addition, Mahmoud Qawasmeh, a senior Hamas member who was released in the Shalit deal, deported to Gaza, and later re-arrested during the war in Gaza in 2024, will also be released.

1:42 pm

PM denies Gaza deal would have been possible before now, credits Israel with ‘massive victories’ over past 2 years

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies that the current deal was available earlier. “Hamas never agreed to release all of our hostages while we remain deep inside the Strip,” he insists.

“Hamas agreed to the deal only when it felt the sword resting on its neck,” says the premier, “and it is still on its neck.”

He adds that Hamas only agreed to the deal when US President Donald Trump’s plan isolated it internationally in an unprecedented fashion.

“In the current stage, we are focused on freeing our hostages,” says Netanyahu.

He promises to bring the bodies of slain hostages “to a Jewish burial.”

“We will work to locate everyone as soon as possible, and will do it as a holy obligation of mutual responsibility,” he says.

After praising IDF troops and recognizing the sacrifice of the families of the fallen, Netanyahu thanks Trump “for his world leadership, and for his unceasing efforts to put together this plan to bring back our hostages.”

Trump, says Netanyahu, once again “proved his friendship to our people, to our country.”

He also thanks top Trump aides Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and his negotiating team.

The Simhat Torah holiday two years ago turned into a day of national mourning, says Netanyahu. “This Simhat Torah will turn, God willing, to a day of national happiness. Happiness over the return of all our brothers and sisters.”

In the war, he says, “we are attaining massive victories, victories that are changing the face of the Middle East.”

He warns that the war is not over, and significant challenges remain. At the same time, says Netanyahu, there are important opportunities, “expanding the circle of peace around us.”

1:30 pm

PM thanks Trump for ‘massive diplomatic pressure’ on Hamas, threatens return to war if demands not achieved ‘the easy way’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address to the public, after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was signed between Israel and Hamas, on October 10, 2025. (Screenshot/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues blasting analysts and journalists who argued, as he puts it, “that there is no way to bring back the rest of the hostages without giving in to Hamas’s main demand — that the IDF will leave the Strip entirely, including from the buffer zone, including from the Philadelphi corridor, including from the dominant ground, with all its implications.”

He says that he knew that if the IDF goes into Hamas’s last major stronghold, Gaza City, “Hamas will want to save its rule.”

Netanyahu adds that he knew that if massive diplomatic pressure is added “from our big friend President Trump, this powerful combination will cause Hamas to give back all of our hostages, while the IDF remains deep inside the Strip and holds all the key positions.”

He promises that in the subsequent stages, “Hamas will be disarmed, and Gaza will be demilitarized.”

Netanyahu threatens Hamas with an implied return to war: “If this is achieved the easy way, great. And if not, it will be achieved the hard way.”

1:23 pm

Defiant Netanyahu says he secured deal to recover all the hostages, despite those who declared it impossible

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an address to the public, after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was signed between Israel and Hamas, on October 10, 2025. (Screenshot/GPO)

In a televised address the day after his government approved a deal to free the hostages and end the war in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stresses that he did not listen to those who argued that it would not be possible to bring the hostages home.

“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 says.

“And that is exactly what we did.”

Netanyahu emphasizes, as he often does, that he faced intense domestic and international pressure — not to go into Rafah, not to take the Philadelphi Corridor, not to operate in other theaters, to end the war and leave Gaza while Hamas, Hezbollah and other enemies were “at the height of their power.”

One consideration guided his decision-making, says Netanyahu: “The security of Israel.”

“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.”

12:49 pm

Netanyahu to deliver statement to the press at 1 p.m.

US envoy Steve Witkoff (left) and US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner (right) flank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting on October 9, 2025. (Maayan Toaf / GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will deliver an address at 1 p.m., his office says.

There will be no option for the media to ask the prime minister questions.

The address, which will be in Hebrew, can be watched live:

https://youtube.com/live/BS62qU0iAao

12:48 pm

Gazans begin moving northward via coastal road after IDF completes withdrawal

Media outlets in Gaza report that residents have begun returning to the northern Gaza Strip, following the withdrawal of IDF troops.

Footage shows that hundreds of residents who had been waiting on al-Rashid Road, along Gaza’s coast since yesterday, have begun moving northward, back to their homes, in the past few minutes.

החזרה לצפון הרצועה שהחלה בדקות האחרונות pic.twitter.com/RO4Xk5OHXJ

— Nurit Yohanan (@nurityohanan) October 10, 2025

12:47 pm

IDF says Gazans may return north via approved routes, warns against approaching troops

Palestinians gather on a street in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on October 10, 2025. (Eyad Baba/AFP)

As the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip officially takes force, the military again warns Palestinians against approaching areas where the IDF is still deployed as part of the deal.

Following a partial withdrawal, the IDF now remains in control of just over half of the Strip’s territory, or 53 percent — most of which is outside urban areas.

This includes a buffer zone along the entire Gaza border, including the Philadelphi Corridor — the Egypt-Gaza border area — along with Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya in the Strip’s far north, a ridge on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City, and large portions of Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

“According to the agreement, IDF troops will remain deployed in specific areas of the Gaza Strip. Do not approach IDF troops in the area until further notice. Approaching the forces exposes you to danger,” warns the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee.

Adraee says moving from southern Gaza to the Strip’s north, and vice versa, is permitted via the Rashid coastal road and the Salah a-Din highway.

“We warn you that in the northern Gaza Strip area, approaching the areas of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, Shejayia, and the areas where forces are stationed is extremely dangerous,” he says.

“In the southern part of the Strip, it is very dangerous to approach the Rafah crossing area, the Philadelphi Corridor, and all areas where forces are stationed in Khan Yunis,” Adraee warns.

He also says that along Gaza’s coast, “there is great danger in fishing, swimming, and diving. We warn against entering the sea in the coming days.”

“It is forbidden to approach Israeli territory and the buffer zone. Approaching the buffer zone is extremely dangerous,” Adraee adds.

12:29 pm

IDF completes withdrawal to new deployment lines in accordance with Gaza ceasefire terms

Israeli soldiers walk near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, October 10, 2025. (AP/Emilio Morenatti)

The ceasefire in the Gaza Strip officially began at noon as the IDF says it has withdrawn troops to the agreed-upon deployment lines as part of the deal with Hamas to secure the release of all the hostages held by the terror group.

“As of 12:00 [p.m.], IDF troops have positioned themselves on the updated deployment lines, in accordance with the outline of the ceasefire and the return of the hostages agreement,” the military says.

“IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to operate to eliminate any immediate threat,” the military adds.

Within 72 hours, meaning by Monday at noon, Hamas is set to release the 48 hostages it is holding, beginning with the 20 believed to be alive. The terror group has, in the past, told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay the release of the bodies.

12:25 pm

Hostage forum says nobody has done more for peace than Trump after he misses out on Nobel Peace Prize

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issues a statement in support of US President Donald Trump, whom they had endorsed for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the war in Gaza, after it is awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

“Although the Nobel Prize Committee has chosen a different winner this year, the truth remains clear and indisputable: no leader or organization has done more for peace in the world than the president of the United States, Donald Trump,” the forum says.

Noting that the president was “working tirelessly, even at this very moment” for the release of the hostages, the forum says that his “unprecedented achievements in advancing peace policy over the past year speak for themselves.”

“No award, or lack thereof, can diminish the profound impact he has had on our families and on world peace,” it adds.

12:14 pm

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan activist Maria Corina Machado

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addresses supporters at a protest against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, January 9, 2025, the day before his inauguration for a third term. (AP/Ariana Cubillos)

Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

She won “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee says in its citation.

US President Donald Trump had made no secret of the fact that he was hoping to win the prize, but on Thursday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it had held its final meeting earlier in the week, before Israel and Hamas agreed to Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war.

AFP contributed to this report.

12:07 pm

Release of hostages, Palestinian prisoners must be conducted ‘with dignity,’ Red Cross urges

By AFP and ToI Staff

International Red Cross (ICRC) vehicles drive in Deir el-Balah as they transport US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander on May 12, 2025, after he was handed over by Hamas. (Eyad Baba / AFP)

The International Committee of the Red Cross says all releases of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners called for in the Gaza ceasefire agreement should be carried out “safely and with dignity.

“The coming days are critical. I urge the parties to hold to their commitments. Release operations must be carried out safely and with dignity,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric says in a statement, also calling for humanitarian assistance to “resume urgently at full capacity and be delivered to people safely wherever they are.”

During the previous ceasefire, which lasted from January to March, the Red Cross criticized the elaborate ceremonies that Hamas held when it handed over the bodies of slain hostages, and expressed “concerns” over the similar ceremonies it orchestrated for the living hostages, but said it had no control over the terror group’s conduct.

11:50 am

Government approves last minute change to list of prisoners slated for release in first phase of Gaza deal

The government voted a short while ago to approve last-minute changes to the list of Palestinian prisoners that will be released in exchange for the hostages.

The telephone vote was held after mediators in Egypt agreed to remove 11 Fatah-affiliated prisoners from the list of those slated for release, and replace them with 11 Hamas-affiliated prisoners, instead.

Among the prisoners added to the list of those due to be released is Mahmoud Issa, who has been imprisoned since 1993 for his part in the abduction and murder of Nissim Toledano the previous year.

Two of the 11 prisoners are serving a two-year sentence, due to end in June 2026, and the other nine are serving life sentences.

11:36 am

Five said wounded in Israeli strike on shelter in northern Gaza; no comment from IDF

Media outlets in Gaza report that five people were seriously injured in an IDF strike on a school that had been serving as a shelter for displaced people in Jabalia, in northern Gaza City.

The IDF has not yet issued a response.

The IDF has not yet completed the partial withdrawal from the Strip that was set out in the first stage of the deal.

In the past 24 hours, both the IDF and sources in Gaza have warned residents not to approach Israeli forces in areas where they remain deployed.

11:24 am

Khan Younis residents begin returning to their homes following start of IDF withdrawal

Media outlets in Gaza report that residents have started to return to their homes in areas from which the IDF has withdrawn.

For now, this does not include residents who wish to leave southern Gaza and return to the north — where Israeli forces are still present and preventing movement — but rather residents who had been displaced east of Khan Younis and have begun returning to the city in recent hours.

صور خاصة للعربية لعودة نازحين لمناطق انسحب منها الجيش الإسرائيلي في خان يونس #فلسطين #غزة #قناة_العربية pic.twitter.com/gMi1CM40TQ

— العربية (@AlArabiya) October 10, 2025

10:59 am

‘A great miracle’: Shas chair Deri welcomes Gaza ceasefire, hostage deal

By Sam Sokol

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri welcomes the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, calling it a “great miracle.”

In a video statement sent to the press, the ultra-Orthodox politician says that nobody had imagined that such a deal was possible and that previous proposals “spoke of a complete withdrawal from the Strip, leaving Hamas in power, and raising a white flag.”

“Who would have thought that we would receive all the hostages, living and dead, and that IDF soldiers would remain in the field, controlling more than 50 percent of the Strip, until Hamas is dismantled and another force enters,” he asks. “This is a great miracle and tremendous divine assistance.”

10:48 am

IDF hopes to complete withdrawal by noon, starting 72 hour countdown to free hostages

Tanks and armored vehicles of the 188th Armored Brigade roll out of the Gaza Strip, early October 10, 2025. (Amutat Barak 188)

The IDF expects to complete its pullback of troops to agreed-upon deployment lines in Gaza, as part of the deal with Hamas to secure the release of all the hostages held by the terror group in the Strip, at noon.

Once complete, the IDF will remain in control of just over half of the Strip’s territory, or 53 percent — most of which is outside urban areas.

Within 72 hours of the IDF completing the withdrawal, Hamas is set to release the 48 hostages it is holding, beginning with the 20 believed to be alive. The terror group has, in the past, told mediators it does not know where some of the bodies of slain hostages are located, which may delay the release of the bodies.

Israeli troops withdraw to new deployment lines in the Gaza Strip as part of a hostage deal, October 10, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

10:27 am

IDF demolishes home of second terrorist behind deadly Ramot Junction attack

IDF troops demolished the home of the second of two Palestinian terrorists who carried out a shooting attack in Jerusalem in September that killed six people, the military says.

Overnight, the IDF says troops operated in the West Bank town of Qatanna, near Ramallah, and razed the house of Mohammad Taha, 21.

Taha carried out the attack at Jerusalem’s Ramot Junction on September 6, along with Muthanna Amro, 20, from the nearby town of Qubeiba.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks.

Amro’s home was demolished by the IDF on September 27.

כוחות צה״ל מחטיבת בנימין, יחידת יהל״ם ומג״ב הרסו את בית המחבל שביצע את פיגוע הירי בצומת רמות

מוקדם יותר היום, כוחות צה״ל ומג״ב רמה, בהובלת חטיבת בנימין פעלו בכפר קטנה להריסת ביתו של המחבל מחמד טהה שחוסל מיד לאחר שביצע את פיגוע הירי בצומת רמות בירושלים.

המחבל, יחד עם מחבל נוסף,… pic.twitter.com/xcBACDDRqk

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 10, 2025

10:23 am

Report: Trump to land in Israel at around 9 a.m. Monday, will head directly to the Knesset

New details of US President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to Israel have been reported by the Channel 12 television network.

According to the outlet, Trump will land at Ben Gurion Airport shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, where he’ll be welcomed with a formal ceremony.

From there, Trump will head straight to the Knesset in Jerusalem to deliver a speech before the start of the Simchat Torah holiday, which begins on Monday evening.

The visit, organized after the signing of a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, will be a brief one, Channel 12 reports. Following his speech at the Israeli parliament, the US president will return to the airport for departure.

The outlet states that the visit will be shorter than had originally been hoped, as Trump will be arriving on Monday rather than on Sunday, due to the logistics of organizing the trip at such late notice.

If the report is accurate, it means Trump will not have time to stop by Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, despite the families of the hostages hoping that he would do so.

10:10 am

Authorities to begin informing families of terror victims if the attacker is to be released under Gaza deal

Starting this morning, Israeli authorities say they will be notifying the families of terror victims that their loved ones’ killers are expected to be released as part of a hostage deal with Hamas.

In exchange for the 48 hostages, Israel will release 250 Palestinian security prisoners who are currently serving life sentences. It will also release some 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained by the military amid operations in Gaza over the course of the war, along with 360 bodies of terrorists.

Still, Israel has not yet published a full list of those set to be released in the deal.

The families of terror victims will be notified by the National Insurance Institute, while the families of fallen soldiers, police officers, and members of other security bodies will be notified by the IDF, Israel Police, or other respective security agencies.

The Defense Ministry says it is “coordinating and overseeing the activity between the various bodies.”

9:53 am

Partial IDF withdrawal from Gaza began overnight under cover of artillery shelling, airstrikes

Tanks and armored vehicles of the 188th Armored Brigade roll out of the Gaza Strip, early October 10, 2025. (Amutat Barak 188)

Overnight and this morning, the IDF began to pull back troops in the Gaza Strip to agreed-upon deployment lines as part of the deal with Hamas to secure the release of all the hostages held by the terror group.

Some forces were completely withdrawn from Gaza, while others will remain at positions along the deployment lines.

The withdrawal took place under the cover of artillery shelling and airstrikes in some areas.

הביתה. pic.twitter.com/8HezNWeoUe

— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) October 10, 2025

The IDF is expected to complete the pullback by tonight, within 24 hours of the Israeli government officially ratifying the agreement with Hamas.

Once complete, the IDF will remain in control of just over half of the Strip’s territory, or 53 percent — most of which is outside urban areas.

גם חטיבת גבעתי כבר יצאה מעזה במורל גבוה pic.twitter.com/kPjortTgRl

— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) October 10, 2025

9:34 am

Thousands gather at Hostages Square for Sukkot prayer service

By Jessica Steinberg

L-R: Shai Tzohar, cousin of slain hostage Omer Neutra; Rabbi Chaim Gantz; Dani Miran, the father of hostage Omri Miran; and Rabbi Dov Singer at Hostages Square on October 10, 2025. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Thousands gather at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for services on the third intermediate day of Sukkot.

There, they chant the Hallel, a collection of Psalms recited in Jewish liturgy on major holidays to praise God for miracles and salvation, and shake palm fronds held with myrtle and willow branches, and the citron — making up the four species used during the holiday.

Men and women are seated separately for services at the square, as is customary in Orthodox Judaism.

Dani Miran, father of hostage Omri Miran, is present, alongside the cousin of slain hostage Omer Neutra. Rabbi Chaim Gantz and Rabbi Dov Singer, representing different streams of Orthodox Judaism, are present to support the hostages’ families, as well.

There is a spirit of celebration at the square, with live music accompanying the morning service, as well as a sense of intention, of praying for the remaining hostages to return home safely.

9:27 am

Germany to give 29 million euros in humanitarian aid for Gaza

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that Germany will provide 29 million euros ($34 million) in immediate humanitarian aid for Gaza, following Israel’s ratification of a ceasefire with Palestinian terror group Hamas.

“We are providing 29 million euros for humanitarian aid. We plan to hold a reconstruction conference for Gaza together with Egypt,” Merz says on X, adding that Germany will assume responsibility in the peace process proposed by US President Donald Trump.

9:15 am

Trump says in ‘great shape’ as he heads for second medical check-up this year

By AFP

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, October 9, 2025, in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Donald Trump heads for his second medical check-up this year on Friday with the oldest elected president in US history insisting that he is in “great shape.”

Trump, 79, will address troops at Walter Reed military hospital on the outskirts of the capital, Washington, before undergoing the examination.

It comes three months after the White House announced Trump was diagnosed with a vein condition, following speculation about frequent bruising on his hand and his swollen legs.

The White House had said earlier this week that Friday’s check-up would be an “annual” one, even though Trump had already undergone one of those in April.

But Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he was “going to do a sort of semi-annual physical.”

“I’m in great shape, but I’ll let you know. But no, I have no difficulty thus far… Physically, I feel very good. Mentally, I feel very good.”

He then embarked on one of his trademark tirades comparing his health with that of former presidents, particularly his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

Trump said that during his last check-up, “I also did a cognitive exam which is always very risky, because if I didn’t do well, you’d be the first to be blaring it, and I had a perfect score.”

Trump then added: “Did Obama do it? No. Did Bush do it? No. Did Biden do it? I definitely did. Biden wouldn’t have gotten the first three questions right.”

But Trump has repeatedly been accused of a lack of openness about his health despite a huge interest in the well-being of America’s commander-in-chief.

In September, he dismissed social media rumors swirling about his health — including false posts that he had died.

In July, the White House said Trump was diagnosed with a chronic but benign vein condition — chronic venous insufficiency — following speculation about his bruised hand and swollen legs.

The hand issue, it said, was linked to the aspirin he takes as part of a “standard” cardiovascular health program.

Trump is regularly seen at public events with heavy make-up on the back of his right hand which he uses to conceal the bruising.

At his last check-up the White House said Trump was in good health, saying he had a “normal cardiac structure and function, no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness.”

8:34 am

Hamas calls on Gaza residents not to approach IDF troops

Displaced Palestinians watch smoke rise after Israeli military strikes as they gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, October 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The Civil Defense mechanism in Gaza — the emergency and rescue service under Hamas — issues a call this morning urging residents not to go near areas where Israeli forces are stationed in the Strip.

It also instructs people not to approach the borders of the enclave until an official announcement is made about an IDF withdrawal.

“Violating this warning puts your lives at risk,” the statement reads.

8:09 am

Taiwan to build ‘T-Dome’ defense system, will aim to be like Israel’s Iron Dome

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te gives a speech during National Day celebrations at the Presidential Palace in Taipei, Taiwan, October 10, 2025. (I-HWA CHENG / AFP)

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan will build a new multi-layered air defense system called “T-Dome” to defend itself against enemy threats and will increase defense spending, President Lai Ching-te says, calling on China to renounce the use of force to seize the island.

Democratically governed Taiwan has faced increased military and political pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory over the strong objections of the government in Taipei.

Taiwan is ramping up defense spending and modernizing its armed forces, but faces a China that has a far larger military and is adding advanced new weapons such as stealth fighter jets, aircraft carriers, and a huge array of missiles.

Lai says in his National Day address that Taiwan is determined to spend more on defense, and would propose a special budget for military spending by the end of the year, showing the government’s determination to protect the island.

“The increase in defense spending has a purpose; it is a clear necessity to counter enemy threats and a driving force for developing our defense industries,” he says.

“We will accelerate our building of the T-Dome, establish a rigorous air defense system in Taiwan with multi-layered defense, high-level detection, and effective interception, and weave a safety net for Taiwan to protect the lives and property of citizens,” Lai says, to applause from the crowd.

He does not give details about “T-Dome” in his first public mention of the system. One source says it would aim to be similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.

6:46 am

IDF says troops searching for suspect who reportedly tried to break into settlement home

The IDF says that troops are carrying out searches in the West Bank settlement of Kohav HaShahar after reports that a suspected tried to break into a home there, setting off suspected terrorist infiltration alerts.

6:02 am

IDF says reserve soldier killed in Hamas sniper attack before Gaza ceasefire took force

Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani (Israel Defense Forces)

An IDF reservist soldier was killed in a Hamas sniper attack in Gaza City Thursday afternoon, the military announces.

The slain soldier is named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani, 26, a Technology and Maintenance Corps soldier in the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion, from Dimona.

The sniper attack came after Israeli and Hamas negotiators signed a deal in Egypt to secure the release of all the hostages held by the terror group in Gaza. A ceasefire as part of the deal had not yet taken effect when the attack was carried out.

5:52 am

Suspected terrorist infiltration alert activated in West Bank settlement

A suspected terrorist infiltration alert is sounding in the West Bank settlement of Kohav HaShahar.

The IDF Home Front Command instructs residents to remain locked in their homes until further notice as the military investigates.

1:59 am

Team of 200 American troops to ‘oversee’ Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza — US officials

By Agencies and Jacob Magid

A US military team of 200 people will be deployed in the Middle East to “oversee” the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after a peace deal brokered by President Donald Trump, senior US officials say.

Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US military’s Central Command, “will initially have 200 people on the ground. His role will be to oversee, observe, make sure there are no violations,” one senior official tells reporters.

Egyptian, Qatari, Turkish and probably Emirati military officials would be embedded in the team, he says. A second official says that “no US troops are intended to go into Gaza.”

A source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel that the US troops will likely be stationed in Egypt where they will develop a joint control center and integrate other security forces that will work in Gaza to coordinate with Israeli forces to avoid clashes.

1:52 am

Witkoff: Netanyahu ‘made some very difficult calls, don’t think we get to this place without him’

US President Donald Trump believes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “made some very, very difficult calls, and lesser people would not have made those calls” amid the war against Hamas, says US special envoy Steve Witkoff during the cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

“The hard job was the prime minister’s,” says Witkoff, alongside Netanyahu. “He had the job of protecting this country. He had the job of making tough choices with regards of how tough to be with Hamas, when to be flexible, when not to be flexible.”

Witkoff says there were times that he thought Israel should have been more flexible. “But the truth is, as I look back, I don’t think we get to this place without Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

1:27 am

Government approves deal to free the hostages, with most ministers voting in favor; ceasefire to take effect once IDF pulls back in Gaza

US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner flank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting on October 9, 2025. (Maayan Toaf / GPO)

The government approves the deal for Hamas to free all 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

With the passage of the vote, the IDF will pull back inside Gaza over the coming 24 hours and a ceasefire will then go into effect.

The release of the hostages, in exchange for some 2,000 Palestinian security prisoners and a partial IDF withdrawal, is the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Most cabinet ministers vote in favor of the deal, including Minister Ofir Sofer of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party, all of whose other ministers opposed the deal. So too did all members of the ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit party.

The IDF will now withdraw to new lines inside the Gaza Strip, retaining a deployment controlling some 53 percent of the Gaza territory, after which the 72-hour window for Hamas to release all the hostages will commence.

1:13 am

Kushner: Release of hostages ‘wouldn’t have been possible without the bravery of the IDF and its soldiers’

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a close confidant on Middle East issues, praises Israel’s military performance over the last two years during the government meeting in Jerusalem convened to vote on the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

“Obviously bringing the hostages home has been a priority for President Trump for a very, very long time, and we’ve all worked very tirelessly to do that,” says Kushner.

“This all would not have been possible without the bravery of the IDF and its soldiers, what they’ve accomplished not just in Gaza, but also what they’ve done in the theater over the last couple of years to eliminate Hezbollah in the north and really degrade them,” he continues.

“What you were able to do in Iran, it really helped set a big tone,” he says. “But particularly seeing the way your citizen army — you know, a lot of you have been through sacrifices on the line to fight for your country to try and make a difference — I think that made a very very big difference in there.”

Kushner says that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “really did an incredible job with this, and did a great job with the negotiations.”

“You held your lines firm and I think that between you and President Trump, you had a lot of alignment on what the end state should be,” he concludes.

1:02 am

Alongside US envoys, Netanyahu tells cabinet that Israel ‘about to achieve goal’ of hostages’ return