"CENTCOM has confirmed that the Israeli Defense Forces completed the first phase withdrawal to the yellow line at 12PM local time [09:00 GMT]. The 72-hour period to release the hostages has begun," Witkoff said on X.
On Wednesday, Trump said that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of the Gaza peace deal, agreeing that the Palestinian movement would release all hostages and Israel would withdraw its troops to an agreed line.
On September 29, US President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict. The proposal calls, among other things, for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages within 72 hours. The plan also stipulates that the Hamas movement and other factions must renounce their involvement in governing Gaza, which will be entrusted to a "technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee" overseen by an international board headed by Trump.