A long-awaited ceasefire is now in place, after Donald Trump pushed Israel and Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The truce came into place on Friday morning, and will see thousands of Palestinians return home to their homes, which have been left largely in rubble following two years of bombardment.

The Israeli military said it has “begun positioning” its troops along the lines detailed in the ceasefire agreement.

On Friday morning, a 72-hour countdown began in which Hamas must release all 20 hostages who are believed to still be alive. They must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

The exact details of their release remains unclear, but in previous hostage handovers they've been collected by the Red Cross which has transferred them to Israel. From there, they have been airlifted to Israeli hospitals for check-ups and to be reunited with their families.

During this process, we expect to see the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

We also expect to see about 600 humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza daily from now on.

After this process has been completed, negotiations are expected to begin over the latter phases of Donald Trump's 20-point plan.

Israel Police said Operation “Blue Shield 6" will be enacted and is being finalised ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to the country on Monday.

The country will mobilise "thousands of police and Border Police officers". police said.

In an update on X, the police force said officers will be deployed "along key routes to ensure public safety, order, and smooth traffic flow during the state visit".

It also means the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops to lines agreed upon during discussions, a key sticking point for both sides.

Israel’s critics have alleged that its military campaign has been part of an expansionist agenda, while Israel maintains it does not want to expel Palestinians from the Strip and is only seeking to destroy Hamas.

Police have put measures in place to try to prevent a clash between pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters in London, a day after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to gather for a march and speeches in central London on Saturday, as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, Stop The Hate has organised a counter-protest, at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand, police said.

Scotland Yard has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to "prevent serious disruption" during the demonstrations, it said.

Conditions have been imposed on both demonstrations by the force, which set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.

The pro-Palestinian protest will be the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters march along Embankment ending with in a rally in Whitehall.

The Metropolitan Police made reference to recent Government proposals to give police greater powers to restrict repeat protests but said that "at this time, the law remains unchanged".

The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London last Saturday.

Almost 500 people were arrested at last week's protest, with the majority on suspicion of supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.

Calls for restraint had been made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2 in which two people were killed, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to "respect the grief of British Jews".

“We are happy just to return – even over the rubble,” these are the words some Gazans have collectively spoken after a ceasefire took effect and Israeli troops began pulling back.

Along the coastal road overlooking the Mediterranean, a huge column of people moved north on foot towards Gaza City. Many carried what little they had salvaged from the ruins – bundles, blankets, children – as they returned to homes that may no longer exist.

"Thank God my house is still standing," said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City. "But the place is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone."

In the south, the devastation was even worse. The city of Khan Younis, once bustling with life, had been reduced to a dusty moonscape. Picking his way through the wreckage, Ahmed al-Brim, a middle-aged man, pushed a bicycle stacked with scrap timber – all that remained of his home.

"We went to our area. It was exterminated," he said quietly. "We don't know where we will go after that. We couldn't get the furniture, or clothes, or anything, not even winter clothes. Nothing is left."

Palestinian health workers said more than a hundred bodies were recovered from across Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew. But for many returning families, there was little time to mourn – only the urgent need to find shelter, water and food.

"Of course there are no homes – they've been destroyed," said Mahdi Saqla, 40, as he and his family joined the steady stream heading north.

"But we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble. That too is a great joy. For two years, we've been suffering, displaced from place to place."

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) says six participants detained by Israel have been released, nearly 10 days after their ships were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

Five of those released were part of the GSF’s mission to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, while another participant – Okey Michael Vitalis from Nigeria – who was sailing with the Omar Al Mukhtar Flotilla intercepted earlier this week, was also freed on Friday, the group said.

Bombardment stopped and Israeli troops pulled back in Gaza on Friday under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The truce, brokered after intense pressure from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, has brought the first quiet in Gaza in nearly two years of war.

Under the deal, Hamas is to release the remaining Israeli hostages within days in exchange for the release of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Aid trucks are also expected to begin entering Gaza as displaced families start heading north to their homes.

But the ceasefire – which US president Donald Trump hailed as “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace” – leaves many questions unresolved.

Israel wants Hamas disarmed, while Hamas is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The shape of a postwar administration for Gaza also remains uncertain, with Trump’s plan proposing an Arab-led international security force and a governing council led by Palestinian technocrats.

Israelis have welcomed the release deal as a long-awaited breakthrough, while Palestinians in Gaza have greeted the pause with relief and scepticism – unsure how long it will last, and whether their shattered territory will ever be rebuilt.

Much now depends on continued diplomatic pressure. Without it, analysts warn, any misstep could see Israel resume its campaign to destroy Hamas, plunging Gaza back into war.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, said that fuel, medical supplies and other critical materials have started flowing in to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.

UN officials are urging Israel to open additional border crossings and ensure safe passage for aid workers and civilians returning to areas of Gaza that were under heavy bombardment until recently.

Over the past several months, the UN and its partner agencies have managed to deliver only around 20 per cent of the aid required in the Gaza Strip, according to UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.

US president Donald Trump said on Friday the hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza are due to "come back" on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said there were approximately 28 bodies to be recovered. He said he thought he would be traveling to Cairo and he would later speak to the Israeli Knesset, before returning to the US on Tuesday.