TEL AVIV — Israel began its military pullback in Gaza on Thursday before the government formally approved the Israel-Hamas deal in the early hours of Friday morning. By Friday noon local time, the military announced it had completed withdrawing to the line agreed upon with Hamas. Under the agreement, the troops are redeploying along a defensive line that leaves them in control of roughly 53% of the Gaza Strip as the ceasefire holds. The move starts the clock ticking on a 72-hour deadline for the release of 20 living hostages and 28 bodies.

Immediate pullback

Planning and preparation for the military pullback was overseen by military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and the head of the military’s Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor. 

"We are vulnerable. Once it’s clear that the war is over, there is no point in being a sitting duck," an Israeli military source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity Thursday night. The military had just announced Friday that a sniper in northern Gaza had killed a 26-year-old Israeli reservist, bringing the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, to 914.