Israel declared a ceasefire in Gaza and began to pull back its forces on Friday, as tens of thousands of exhausted Palestinians made their way back to their devastated homes.

After two years of brutal war, the families of Israel's remaining hostages in the territory were also hoping the truce -- pushed by US President Donald Trump -- would endure.

Trump himself expressed confidence that the ceasefire would "hold", telling reporters that Israel and Hamas were "all tired of the fighting".

The Israeli military said its troops had halted fire at noon (0900 GMT) "in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages".

Three hours later, the Pentagon confirmed Israel had completed the first phase of a pullback laid out in Trump's peace plan. Israeli forces still hold around 5

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