Hamas has vowed to remove ‘outlaws and collaborators with Israel’ as it recalled its security forces to take back control of Gaza after it agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. 

Some 7,000 gunmen were called on by Hamas to reassert control over areas of the enclave that had been vacated by Israeli forces during the two-year-long war. 

The mobilisation order was issued via phone calls and text messages that read: ‘We declare a general mobilisation in response to the call of national and religious duty, to cleanse Gaza of outlaws and collaborators with Israel. 

‘You must report within 24 hours to your designated locations using your official codes’.

Hamas units have already been deployed across several districts, while the militant group has already appointed five new governors, all with military backgrounds. 

Images show gun-wielding officers, several of them in plain clothes and others in blue uniforms, patrolling the streets as tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed norther Gaza Strip. 

Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in Trump’s ceasefire plan. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.

Some 7,000 gunmen were called on to reassert control over areas of Gaza that had been vacated by Israeli forces

Palestinian police tand guard, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, October 11, 2025

alestinian police resume their duties to maintain security and regulate traffic across Gaza City, Gaza, following the ceasefire, on October 11, 2025

But the latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year-conflict that was triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza population of some two million, often multiple times. Many of them will find fields of rubble where their homes once stood. 

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday.

 Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military’s announcement.

Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.

‘If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be achieved the hard way,’ Netanyahu said.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 percent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a U.N. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.

Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in Trump’s ceasefire plan

t the latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year-conflict that was triggered by Hamas October 7, 2023 attack on Israel 

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza population

The aid shipments are meant to address severe malnutrition and famine conditions triggered by Israeli offensives and restrictions on humanitarian help. 

The International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Netanyahu and his former defense minister for allegedly using starvation as a method of war. Israeli officials deny the accusations.

The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.

U.N. officials and Israeli authorities have engaged in a series of discussions in Jerusalem over the last 24 hours about the volume of aid humanitarian organizations can bring in and through which entry points.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday that fuel, medical supplies and other critical materials have started flowing through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

U.N. officials want Israel to open more border crossings and provide safe movement for aid workers and civilians who are returning to parts of Gaza that were under heavy fire until only recently.

A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might remain of their homes. 

It was a repeat of emotional scenes from an earlier ceasefire in January. Others headed to different parts of the Palestinian territory in the south.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 percent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday

The destruction they find this time will be even greater, after Israel waged a new offensive in Gaza City, in the north, in recent weeks. 

The military bombed high-rises and blew up homes in what it said was an attempt to destroy Hamas’ remaining military infrastructure.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. 

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children. 

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

Palestinians, including children, gathered in the city of Khan Yunis celebrate after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza on October 09, 2025 in Khan Yunis, Gaza

Palestinians, who were displaced to the southern part of Gaza at Israel’s order, make their way along a road as they return to the north, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip, October 11, 2025

Palestinians make their way to Gaza City through the so-called ‘Netzarim corridor’ from Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip on October 11, 2025

The war has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.

Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining hostages. 

A list Israel published Friday did not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure. 

Israel views him and other high-profile prisoners as terrorists and has refused to release them in past exchanges.