On Thursday, Israel and Hamas came on board the first phase of an agreement based on US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. (AP Photo/File)

The Israeli military said Friday that a ceasefire was in effect in Gaza as of 12:00 pm local time (09:00 GMT), and the Israeli forces have “positioned themselves in the latest deployment lines, in accordance with the outline of the ceasefire agreement”.

This comes after Israel’s government in a cabinet vote approved “phase one” of a ceasefire agreement, which will see captives exchanged and Israel withdraw from parts of Gaza

The military update added that Israeli forces “in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to operate to eliminate any immediate threat.”

The announcement comes after Palestinians reported heavy shelling

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