Devastation PHOTO/VIDEO

Since 12 p.m., IDF troops have begun positioning along updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.

"IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to eliminate any immediate threats," they announced.

Among the released footage is a clip from Brigade 188.

However, judging by the videos that have appeared on the photo services of international agencies, as well as on social media, the Israeli army has left behind devastation, buildings reduced to rubble, and streets piled with debris.

 

The withdrawal is taking place under the cover of artillery shelling and airstrikes in some areas, and the Israeli army is expected to complete the pullout by tonight, within 24 hours after the Israeli government officially ratified the agreement with Hamas.

When the withdrawal is complete, the IDF will retain control over just over half of the Gaza Strip’s territory, or 53 percent, most of which lies outside urban areas.

This includes a buffer zone along the entire Gaza border, including the Philadelphi Corridor—the border area between Egypt and Gaza—together with Beit Hanun and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the Strip, the ridge on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City, and large parts of Rafah and Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.