The move reportedly comes as Hamas has partially agreed to Trump’s proposed peace plan
Israeli political leaders have ordered the IDF to halt the Gaza City offensive which was launched in September.
According to Israeli Army Radio and the public broadcaster Kan, the order came after US President Donald Trump called on West Jerusalem to stop launching strikes against the enclave as part of his attempt to end the war and free the hostages still held by Hamas.
Under Trump’s plan, the Palestinian armed group must release all remaining hostages within 72 hours of Israel suspending military operations in Gaza and withdrawing its troops “to the agreed upon line.”
Both Israel and Hamas have stated that they were ready for the prisoner swap, but West Jerusalem has not officially addressed Trump’s call for Israel to halt its strikes on Gaza.
On Saturday, Army Radio claimed that the US government had instructed Israel to reduce its operations in Gaza to “the minimum,” with troops on the ground strictly carrying out defensive maneuvers.
In a statement on X on Saturday, the Israeli army said that the area north of Wadi Gaza, which includes now-decimated Gaza City, is “still considered a dangerous combat zone” and has called on residents there to move south.
It added that Israeli forces continue to surround Gaza City, and “attempts to return there pose a significant risk.”
Aerial attacks across Gaza continued earlier on Saturday “but were sharply less intense,” Al Jazeera wrote. At least 20 people have been killed by Israeli attacks across the enclave since dawn.
According to Kan, negotiations between Israeli and US officials on Trump’s plan are expected to be held soon.
Trump’s peace plan notably includes the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 of them who were detained after October 7, 2023.
After the swaps, an apolitical, Hamas-free transitional government will be established in Gaza, which is intended to become “a deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors.”
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