Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza, Canadians react as first phase of peace deal begins
Israeli troops are withdrawing from Gaza as the first phase of a peace deal to end the war with Hamas begins, the military says.
The ceasefire agreement came into effect at midnight on Thursday, Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X . Since then, troops have been “positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.” There are still troops deployed in the area, it said, who will “continue to remove any immediate threat.”
The military said it was preparing for the return of the hostages in another post on X Friday .
“This is an emotional moment for the people of Israel and for the troops of the IDF who fought and acted, over the past two years with courage, bravery, and dedication,” said IDF spokesperson Brigadier Gen. Effie Defrin.
According to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan , the public acceptance of a ceasefire deal by Israel means that Hamas has 72 hours to return all of the remaining hostages. The deal comes two years after a deadly attack on Israel, when Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. There are 48 hostages remaining, 20 of which are believed to be alive, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday .
As events continue to unfold in the Middle East, here’s what to know.
Canadians react to peace deal
Canadian Maureen Leshem, whose cousin was held hostage by Hamas and has since been released, told CBC News that she was “genuinely optimistic” by the peace plan.
“It’s clear that leaders from around the world believe that these hostages must come home,” she said, “that they should have never been taken in the first place.”
Ottawa native Jacqui Vital told The Canadian Jewish News she was “glad” for the families of hostages who are expected to come home. Her 31-year-old daughter Adi Vital-Kaploun was killed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. It took several days for her family to learn what happened to her, not knowing if she was murdered, kidnapped or alive.
“I’m glad for them because … I only had three days of thinking that Adi was kidnapped, and I couldn’t touch my neck because it was so tense. So I don’t know how they lived 732 days like that,” she said, about the families of the remaining hostages.
However, Vital said she feels like there is much more to be done within the country. The families of eight Canadians killed by Hamas, including Vital, wrote to Carney earlier this week on the second anniversary of the attack. The letter pushed for more action to combat rising antisemitism within the country. The Canadians killed on Oct. 7 were Netta Epstein, Shir Georgy, Judih Weinstein Haggai, Adi Vital-Kaploun, Tiferet Lapidot, Alexandre Look, Ben Mizrachi and Vivian Silver.
Meanwhile, Canadian Iris Weinstein Haggai told the Globe and Mail that she won’t get excited about the deal because “it’s not done until it’s done.” Although, she said, she is hopeful. Her parents Gadi Haggai and Judih Weinstein Haggai were killed by Hamas terrorists and their remains were returned to Israel in June 2025.
The mood in Israel was optimistic on Friday, as shown in a video shared by Oren Marmorstein, the spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are counting the minutes for the return of the hostages,” he wrote. The video shows people gathered at Hostage Square, the name given to a plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
We are counting the minutes for the return of the hostages.
— Oren Marmorstein (@OrenMarmorstein) October 10, 2025
The Hostages Square is praying that this is the last Sabbath the hostages are held in Gaza, and singing “Peace unto you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High, of the supreme King of kings, the Holy One,… pic.twitter.com/raJRbEnVMJ
The Embassy of Israel to the United States shared photos of people celebrating in Tel Aviv. Thousands of people gathered, some holding Israeli flags and some holding American flags on Friday.
Joy and hope fill Hostage Square in @TelAviv .
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) October 10, 2025
Thousands stand together: not in sorrow, but in unity and faith that the light is returning.
????: Dana Reany pic.twitter.com/wDjatgC0tw
According to The Times of Israel , the families of hostages gathered at the plaza for a Shabbat dinner — which they hope will be the final one before the hostages are released.
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visit Western Wall
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, who helped broker the peace deal, and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday, according to The Times of Israel and Visegrad 24. The site is a holy place of prayer for the Jewish community.
“We’re very happy,” said Witkoff speaking to a reporter. “We’re very that hopefully the hostages will be out by Monday.”
He said there would be peace and “lots of lives saved.”
“We feel blessed,” he said.
Kushner and Witkoff visited the Western Wall today.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 10, 2025
Witkoff said he feels he feels happy and blessed about that hostages coming back. pic.twitter.com/v2G8l6PLs7
In a post on Instagram, Ivanka shared a photo of herself touching the Western Wall. She didn’t write a caption but instead added a heart and praying hand emojis.
Trump expected in Israel Monday
Trump is set to travel to Israel on Monday. He told reporters on Thursday that he would “probably” be there for the release of the remaining hostages, NBC News reported .
“I hope to be there…and I look forward to it,” he said.
It would be an “in and out” visit, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel . Trump is expected to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and to meet with freed hostages.
The source said that Trump would not spend the night in Israel, and would leave after his brief engagements in the country.
Witkoff told reporters at the Western Wall that the president “is coming,” although he did not specify when.
Trump also said Thursday that he would be travelling to Egypt next week to officially sign a ceasefire deal, per NBC News. Egypt will be hosting a summit on Gaza with other world leaders in attendance, according to Axios .
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lauded Trump’s commitment to end the war. On Friday, in a post on X, he said Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
“The Nobel Committee talks about peace. President (Trump) makes it happen,” he wrote.
This year, the prize went to Venezuela’s opposition leader and democracy activist Maria Corina Machado, “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” the committee said .
The Nobel Committee talks about peace. President @realDonaldTrump makes it happen.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) October 10, 2025
The facts speak for themselves. President #Trump deserves it.#PeaceThroughStrength https://t.co/hnvyfy2TaN
Not all remains of deceased hostages may return: Israeli sources
Israeli sources told CNN yesterday that they believed that Hamas would not be able to locate all of the remains of deceased hostages.
The father of an American hostage said he hasn’t received confirmation about his son’s status.
“There is that scenario, some say even a realistic scenario, that Hamas will come back and say, ‘Look, we don’t have 48. We only have a lower number.’ So it might be that there are some families, including mine, that do not have closure,” Ruby Chen told CNN. His son Itay Chen is presumed dead.
In remarks made on Friday , Netanyahu said that deceased hostages would be given “a proper Jewish burial.”
“We will act to locate all of them as soon as possible – we will do that as a sacred duty of communal responsibility,” he said.