The IDF completed its withdrawal to agreed-upon deployment lines in the Gaza Strip on Friday, officially activating a fragile ceasefire and triggering a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release all remaining hostages under the first phase of the U.S.-brokered deal.

The pullback, finalized at noon, came under fire. Artillery and airstrikes continued in several zones as troops repositioned, and a reservist soldier was killed by a Hamas sniper just hours before the ceasefire began — a reminder of the volatility that remains on the ground.

The IDF later identified the fallen soldier as Sgt. First Class (res.) Michael Mordechai Nachmani hy”d, 26, of Dimona, serving in the 614th Combat Engineering Battalion. His death brought Israel’s military toll since the start of the ground operation to 472, including two police officers and three civilian contractors.

Under the terms of the deal, Hamas has until noon Monday to hand over all surviving hostages and as many of the bodies of the dead as it can locate.

Following the redeployment, Israel now holds roughly 53 percent of Gaza’s territory, much of it outside dense population centers. That includes a buffer zone along the Strip’s entire perimeter and control of key corridors: the Philadelphi Corridor on the Egypt-Gaza border, the northern towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, the eastern ridges of Gaza City, and broad swaths of Rafah and Khan Younis in the south.

Both the IDF and Hamas’s Civil Defense agency issued public warnings Friday urging civilians to stay away from areas where Israeli forces remain deployed.

“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,” said Col. Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson. “Approaching the forces exposes you to danger.”

He said movement between north and south Gaza would be allowed via the Rashid coastal road and Salah a-Din highway, but cautioned against entering sensitive areas: “Approaching Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya, Shejaiya, Rafah crossing, or the Philadelphi Corridor remains extremely dangerous.”

Adraee also warned civilians to stay out of the Mediterranean: “There is great danger in fishing, swimming, and diving. We warn against entering the sea in the coming days.”

Hamas’s Civil Defense echoed the warning, telling Gazans to avoid border areas “until an official announcement is made about a full withdrawal.”

Despite the cautions, video footage from Gaza showed hundreds of residents moving north along the coastal road toward Gaza City — the war-ravaged urban center that has seen some of the most intense fighting of the conflict.

Under the terms of the U.S.-brokered agreement, Israel is expected to release 250 Palestinian security prisoners serving life sentences, as well as 1,700 Gazans detained since the October 7 attacks.

Hamas has informed mediators it may not be able to account for all the bodies of slain hostages, which could complicate the timeline of the exchange.

For Gaza, the truce brought a measure of relief — and uncertainty. Much of the territory has been reduced to rubble after months of fighting, with over a million people displaced.

For Israel, the pause represents both a diplomatic breakthrough and a test of trust in Hamas’s commitment to the terms of the deal.

As the 72-hour clock began ticking Friday, both sides brace for what could either cement the first step toward ending the war — or plunge the region back into violence if the fragile agreement collapses.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)