Gaza Ceasefire Begins; Hostage Exchange Details Revealed

The ceasefire regime in the Gaza Strip officially came into effect today at 12:00 Israel time. Parallel to this historic development, the head of the Hamas movement in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, has revealed key details of the deal, including the timeline and conditions for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the exchange of prisoners.

According to Hamdan, Israeli forces will begin withdrawing from cities and densely populated areas on Friday, taking up positions stipulated by the agreement. "An agreement has been reached that they will withdraw and will not be in the cities, specifically in Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis, and will also leave residential areas," he specified.

In an interview with Al Arabiya television, the Hamas representative also stressed that the hostage exchange will only take place after the ceasefire regime is established. He detailed that the exchange will be carried out in accordance with US President Donald Trump's peace plan: in exchange for the Israeli hostages, 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 other Palestinians arrested since the start of the war will be released.

In addition to the prisoner exchange, the agreement also provides for the easing of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Five border crossings will be opened to ensure the entry of 600 truckloads of humanitarian aid per day. Hamdan added that international organizations will be responsible for distributing the aid.

Against the backdrop of these events, diplomatic movements have also intensified. On the evening of October 9, President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will arrive in Israel from Egypt.

The Israeli government is also preparing to ratify the deal. A cabinet meeting is scheduled for 17:00 Israel time, which will be followed by a government meeting. It is expected that this will result in the approval of the release of Palestinian prisoners.

It is also reported that a short visit by President Donald Trump to Israel is possible on the night of October 12. Some media outlets are even announcing some of Trump's meetings in Israel with representatives of both the legislative and executive branches.