Israel Pulls Back Gaza Troops as Clock Starts on Hostage Release

Israel began the process of withdrawing troops from Gaza while the US started the clock on a 72-hour window for Hamas to release all remaining hostages, as the complex process of ending the two-year war got underway.

Israeli forces retreated on Friday to a so-called yellow line as laid out in a plan unveiled by US President Donald Trump late last month, with fighting suspended as per an agreement reached early Thursday. Attention now switches to Hamas, which is due to free the 20 abductees who are believed to be still alive, plus the remains of those who are dead, within the pre-agreed timeframe.