TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli bombing of Gaza City has “significantly subsided” though at least five Palestinians were killed, a hospital official said Saturday, as Israel’s army said the country’s leaders had instructed it to prepare for the first phase of the U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza.

Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike, said an official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record. The official said no forces have been removed from the territory.

Still, Shifa Hospital director Mohamed Abu Selmiyah told the AP that Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians across Gaza City, while bombing had “significantly subsided.”

The army statement came hours after President Donald Trump ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza once

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