Al Jazeera said the IDF has begun withdrawing equipment from the town of Rafah in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began withdrawing its equipment from the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by Al Jazeera TV channel on January 19.

"The Israeli military began withdrawing its equipment from the center of the southern city of Rafah," the publication said.

It is specified that the retreat is taking place in the so-called Philadelphia Corridor along the southern border with Egypt.

Cease-fire: How the agreement between Israel and Hamas will change the situation in the Middle East

In the first phase, 33 captives are to be released - will this be a step towards a settlement

Israel is withdrawing its troops as part of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which was announced on January 15, 2025. According to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, it begins on January 19 at 8:30 a.m. local time (9:30 Moscow time - Ed. ).

The Defense Ministry and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began preparations to implement the agreement on January 16. In particular, the State Defense Ministry's Directorate of Checkpoints and the Design Department will be involved in the execution of the deal in order to speed up logistics.

On January 17, the Israeli government, following a six-hour meeting , approved an agreement with the Palestinian Hamas movement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of Palestinian hostages. On the same day, the parties signed the final version of the deal in the Qatari capital Doha.

The Jerusalem Post reported that at the first stage, in exchange for 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages - children, women (including military), men over 50 years old and "humanitarian hostages."

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian radical movement Hamas subjected the territory of Israel to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes.