<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: nowrap; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">NUSEIRAT:&nbsp;Gaza&#39;s civil defence agency said Friday that Israeli forces have begun pulling back from parts of the territory, particularly in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. &quot;Israeli forces have withdrawn from several areas in Gaza City,&quot; said Mohammed al-Mughayyir, a senior official with the agency -- a rescue force that operates under Hamas authority. Among the districts from which troops were withdrawing were Tel al-Hawa and Al-Shati camp, both of which had seen intense Israeli air and ground operations in recent weeks. Mughayyir also said Israeli military vehicles pulled out from parts of the southern city of Khan Yunis. Residents of several areas of the Gaza Strip also told AFP that the Israeli military appeared to have withdrawn from positions that they held on Thursday. Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told journalists on Thursday that Israel&#39;s military would be redeployed to the so-called Yellow Line, as they gradually withdraw under a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. During this first part of the withdrawal process, the military will still hold about 53 percent of the Gaza Strip. Jets flying low&nbsp;Mughayyir said that fighting was ongoing. &quot;Gunfire has not stopped at all until this moment. The Israeli army also targeted Gaza municipality crews north of (Gaza City&#39;s) Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood&quot;, Mughayyir said, adding that one city worker had been killed by Israeli fire. Mughayyir told AFP that another man was killed by Israeli fire in Khan Yunis on Friday.&nbsp;Mahmud Bassal, civil defence spokesman, said Israeli fighter jets were flying low over Gaza on Friday. Bassal said his teams reported air strikes and artillery shelling in the north, particularly in Gaza City, where the Israeli military had launched a major offensive before the ceasefire.&nbsp;He said Israeli forces also launched smoke bombs in Khan Yunis. An AFP video journalist filming Gaza from Israel reported large plumes of smoke and dust rising above northern Gaza on Friday morning. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was checking reports of bombardments on Gaza. On Friday, the military said its southern command troops were &quot;in the midst of adjusting operational positions in the Gaza Strip&quot;. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s office said early on Friday that the government had approved the framework of a hostage release deal with Hamas.

Middle East

Israel began withdrawing troops from parts of Gaza City and Khan Yunis, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency, though airstrikes and shelling continued as Israeli forces adjusted positions across the territory.

Israeli forces pulling back from several areas: Gaza civil defence 

TEL AVIV: On the eve of meeting with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working on a new ceasefire plan with the White House, but details are still being sorted out. Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war, especially during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City. The death toll in the Israeli war on Gaza has topped 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry said Sunday. &lsquo;We&rsquo;re working on it&rsquo;In Monday&rsquo;s White House meeting, Trump is expected to share a new proposal for ending the conflict. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re working on it,&rdquo; Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Sunday Briefing.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not been finalized yet, but we&rsquo;re working with President Trump&rsquo;s team, actually as we speak, and I hope we can -- we can make it a go.&rdquo; Arab officials briefed on the plan say the 21-point proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced. Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed. But he repeated an offer to allow Hamas operatives to leave Gaza as part of a deal ending the conflict. &ldquo;If they finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out,&rdquo; he said. Growing international pressure on IsraelTrump has so far stood behind Israel. But the US leader has shown signs of impatience lately, particularly after Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas&rsquo; political leadership in Doha, Qatar, earlier this month.&nbsp; Ceasefire talks have stalled since, despite growing international and domestic protests. Key Western allies have joined a list of countries recognizing a Palestinian state over Israeli objections.&nbsp; The European Union is considering sanctions and there are growing moves for a sports and cultural boycott against Israel. Netanyahu told fellow world leaders Friday at the UN General Assembly that his nation &ldquo;must finish the job&rdquo; in Gaza. Trump&rsquo;s 21-point ceasefire planTrump&#39;s ceasefire proposal would include the release of all hostages within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan.&nbsp; The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, said the proposal is not final and changes are highly likely. Trump discussed the proposal with Arab leaders in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. A Hamas official said the group was briefed on the plan but has yet to receive an official offer from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Hamas has said it is ready to &ldquo;study any proposals positively and responsibly.&rdquo; The official said the group had previously said it was willing to release all hostages in return for an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip. Nonstop explosions&nbsp;Local hospitals in central Gaza said at least 10 people were killed when at least two strikes hit homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry said in its daily report the death toll has climbed to 66,005, with a further 168,162 wounded since the war started.

On the eve of meeting Trump, Netanyahu said Israel is working on a ceasefire plan amid international pressure over the Gaza war, which has killed over 66,000 Palestinians; Trump’s 21-point proposal includes hostage release.

Articles tagged with "ceasefire plan"

Israeli forces pulling back from several areas: Gaza civil defence

Netanyahu says Israel working on ceasefire plan on eve of Trump meeting