ISTANBUL 

Israel’s initial withdrawal from parts of Gaza City on Friday exposed the vast scale of destruction across residential neighborhoods and infrastructure, where entire districts have been reduced to rubble.

Footage shared by activists and journalists on social media revealed unprecedented devastation in areas vacated by Israeli forces, who are repositioning along the Yellow Line within the Gaza Strip under the framework of the ceasefire agreement.

The videos depicted harrowing scenes of flattened homes, shattered facilities, and bulldozed streets. One of the hardest-hit locations was the vicinity of the Saeed Siyam Mosque in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of northern Gaza City.

In that area, residential buildings were either completely demolished or left structurally uninhabitable due to heavy artillery shelling. The eastern section of Sheikh Radwan was similarly razed, with entire blocks wiped out and main roads torn apart.

Before beginning its phased pullback, the Israeli army reportedly conducted intense demolition and bombing operations across several neighborhoods, including Sheikh Radwan. The nearby tunnel area to the east also suffered widespread destruction, having already been targeted in previous operations.

Additional footage documented severe damage in the Al-Nasr district northwest of the city, where thousands of homes were either destroyed or left in ruins.

The Israeli army began its gradual troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on Friday and will complete its withdrawal to the locations specified in US President Donald Trump's plan to end the war on the Gaza Strip within 24 hours, according to Israeli media.

Early Thursday morning, Trump announced that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan.

The agreement came after four days of indirect negotiations between the two parties in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of delegations from Türkiye, Egypt, and Qatar, under US supervision.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.

US Middle East envoy announces start of 72-hour period for Hamas-Israel hostage exchange

US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff announced on Friday that the 72-hour period for the release of Israeli captives in Gaza has officially begun, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.

“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,” wrote Witkoff on the US social media company X.

Under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, Hamas is required to release 20 hostages and hand over the bodies of 28 deceased hostages within 72 hours of the agreement taking effect. However, the terms of the deal note challenges in locating the bodies of the deceased captives.​​​​​​​

In exchange for the Israeli hostages, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees who were arrested in Gaza since October 7, 2023.