tiktok goes offline in the us, hours before a ban on the platform goes into effect. hello, i'm catherine byaruhanga. with just 1.5 hours to go before a ceasefire in gaza is due to come into effect, it is being reported that israeli forces have begun withdrawing from the southern city of rafah towards the border with egypt. the israeli army says it has set up medical facilities near gaza to receive the three female israeli hostages hamas is expected to release on sunday. israel says it will not move forward with the deal until their names are confirmed. over the next few weeks, 33 israeli hostages are due to be freed in the first phase. in exchange, israel will release 1,900 palestinian prisoners and detainees. earlier the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, warned his country was ready to go back to war in gaza if negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire collapse. jonah fisher reports.

after 15 months of war and destruction, this morning gaza should fall silent as the ceasefire comes into force. people who have suffered so much are now making plans, daring to hope. much are now making plans, darinu to hoe. �* ,, �* ~ daring to hope. translation: we want to no daring to hope. translation: we want to go see _ daring to hope. translation: we want to go see the _ daring to hope. translation: we want to go see the people - daring to hope. translation: we want to go see the people who - want to go see the people who we lost contact with for the past 15 months. we don't know anything about them, if they are alive or dead. translation: of course i _ are alive or dead. translation: of course i will _ are alive or dead. translation: of course i will be _ are alive or dead. translation: of course i will be happy. - are alive or dead. translation: of course i will be happy. i- are alive or dead. translation: of course i will be happy. i am i of course i will be happy. i am counting — of course i will be happy. i am counting the minutes until i can go— counting the minutes until i can go see my loved ones, my friends — can go see my loved ones, my friends and _ can go see my loved ones, my friends and my neighbours. more than 46.000 — friends and my neighbours. more than 46,000 palestinians, - than 16,000 palestinians, possibly many more, have died in this war. those displaced — and that's almost everyone — should now be able to return to

find out what's left of their homes. but is it really over? last night israel's prime minister addressed the nation, stressing that the six week ceasefire was temporary. translation: both president trump and president biden gave full backing to israel's right to return to fighting if israel reaches the conclusion that the negotiations for the second stage of fruitless. i appreciate that very much. under the terms of the deal, 33 of the hostages captured by hamas in the attacks of october 2023 are due to be released in small groups every few days. but not all the hostages are included, and last night thousands filled the square in tel aviv, urging the government and america's incoming president to make sure they all come home. president to make sure they all come home-— president to make sure they all come home. ., ~ , ., , come home. thank you, president trum - , come home. thank you, president trump. for— come home. thank you, president trump, for making _ come home. thank you, president trump, for making this _ come home. thank you, president trump, for making this deal - trump, for making this deal

possible. my son will not be released in the first phase, but i believe in your power to do as you promised. save my son and all other 97 hostages. please keep going and saving lives. we must complete every step of the deal without delay. three hostages are expected to be released today, and in return, dozens of palestinian prisoners will be set free. there will also be a big increase in the amount of aid that gets into the gaza strip, with trucks already queueing up to get much—needed supplies in. this is a complex ceasefire agreement. much could still go wrong, and there no trust between israel and hamas. but for the people of gaza and the hostages and their families, it is a start.

with me is mohamed taha from bbc arabic. what are we expecting to happen in the coming hours? what what are we expecting to happen in the coming hours?— in the coming hours? what we exect, in the coming hours? what we expect, catherine _ in the coming hours? what we expect, catherine is _ in the coming hours? what we expect, catherine is that - in the coming hours? what we expect, catherine is that in - expect, catherine is that in less than 90 minutes this ceasefire should go into effect in gaza. that means there will not be any fighting between hamas and israel after more than 15 months of fighting. now, also we expect after a few hours, after midday, that three female hostages would be released from gaza. there is now contradictory reports that israel is saying they did not receive the names of these hostages yet, and we didn't hear much from hamas about that. but this is what the deal says. after that, maybe in the evening, we will see prisoners,

palestinian prisoners, getting released from the west bank. and it is a day full of events and it is indeed ahistorical and it is indeed ahistorical and very historic day in the conflict between the palestinians and the israelis. and the head of the ceasefire, —— ahead of the ceasefire, israel's prime minister has been addressing the nation. what did he have to say? {lit what did he have to say? of course, israel's prime minister saying practically what is happening is not the end of the war, it is only a pause in fighting. if hamas did not listen to israel's demands in the coming two phases of the negotiations, the war is restarting again and having the american backing of restarting the war. he is also saying, surprisingly, that the israeli forces will not withdraw from the philadelphi corridor,

bordering egypt, which is a main point in the deal that we all read, which might make this ceasefire dealfragile. ceasefire deal fragile. however, it looks like in the best interests of both parties in gaza and israel that this deal will hold for the best interests of everyone, because people really are tired, exhausted and frustrated from this war. �* ., ., ., this war. and we are hearing of some israeli _ this war. and we are hearing of some israeli troop _ this war. and we are hearing of some israeli troop movements| some israeli troop movements within gaza, leaving the rafah area in the south of the territory. just described to us the atmosphere in gaza at the moment. ., .,, , moment. indeed, the atmosphere in gaza is a _ moment. indeed, the atmosphere in gaza is a mix _ moment. indeed, the atmosphere in gaza is a mix between - moment. indeed, the atmosphere in gaza is a mix between joy - in gaza is a mix betweenjoy and cautious, so people are reported to be packing their belongings in the rafah area, where most of the refugees are there. they want to return back to their places. there is not many homes, because more than 70% of the homes in gaza were

destroyed, but they are keen to go back to their places, their neighbours, their neighbourhoods. so there is thatjoy neighbourhoods. so there is that joy and, neighbourhoods. so there is thatjoy and, as you said, the israeli forces withdrew from many parts, from the corridor separating the south from the north, and also people are really keen to go back to their homes. �* ., ., , , ., homes. and i am not sure if you can see these — homes. and i am not sure if you can see these images _ homes. and i am not sure if you can see these images on - homes. and i am not sure if you can see these images on our - can see these images on our screens at the moment. these are live pictures from israel looking into northern gaza. we can see some smoke going up into the sky there. we are not sure what caused that fire or that explosion, but of course, just a reminder ofjust how tense things are still at the moment. tense things are still at the moment-— tense things are still at the moment. , ., , moment. yes, until last night there were — moment. yes, until last night there were reports _ moment. yes, until last night there were reports that - moment. yes, until last night there were reports that there | there were reports that there was fighting between both parties. hamas released some videos saying that they attacked some israeli tanks, that they fired also missiles into israeli territories, and

there were reports of some casualties in gaza. we understand that more than 120 people were killed in gaza since this deal was struck, so in this last hour, it is still a tense situation in gaza. we are looking forward in the coming our to see to what extent this ceasefire will hold, but all the hopes and eyes and the joy of the people in gaza and the families of the hostages to see this ceasefire hold. . ~' hostages to see this ceasefire hold. ., ~ i. hostages to see this ceasefire hold. ., ~ ,, y hostages to see this ceasefire hold. ., ~ i. , . let's speak to janine zacharia, formerjerusalem bureau chief for the washington post. thank you forjoining us on bbc news. today could turn out to be a significant moment, really, for people in gaza but also for the families in israel waiting for news, waiting to meet their loved ones once again. how optimistic are you

at the moment?— at the moment? well, i'm a little bit _ at the moment? well, i'm a little bit concerned - at the moment? well, i'm a little bit concerned about. at the moment? well, i'm a. little bit concerned about why hamas hasn't turned over the names of the first, we are told, three female hostages that are due to be released about 4pm local time there. it could just be confusion on the side, or it is likely that it will happen. but there is nervous anxiety, as you mentioned, within israel about who it will be and will it actually happened. and once that goes ahead, that is step one. there's a lot of ways that things can go wrong, whether there's going to be some kind of an attack inside israel that derail it and because the israelis to resume fighting, i don't know. that's what has happened with past ceasefires and other conflicts. but let's assume that the first six weeks go ahead and 33 israeli hostages, captives, i returned home in exchange for, like your reporter mentioned, close to 2000 palestinian hostages. then the question becomes can it go

forward beyond that? and prime minister netanyahu, because of his internal coalition concerns, this is a very defensive agreement within israel, was trying to say nothing is done, we can resume the fighting should we need to, which is why many of the hostage families, those particularly of younger men under the age of 50, are concerned that they will never be released in the second round of this. �* ., ., ,~ ., , of this. ben'amin netanyahu has been of this. benjamin netanyahu has been unp°puiar_ of this. benjamin netanyahu has been unpopular in _ of this. benjamin netanyahu has been unpopular in israel- of this. benjamin netanyahu has been unpopular in israelfor- been unpopular in israel for some time. some of his critics say that he needs to keep the war going in order to stay in power. do you think that is a fair assessment? power. do you think that is a fairassessment? i power. do you think that is a fair assessment?— power. do you think that is a fair assessment? i missed the first art fair assessment? i missed the first part of — fair assessment? i missed the first part of your _ fair assessment? i missed the first part of your question, - first part of your question, but just today in first part of your question, butjust today in israel you had a split screen where you had a split screen where you had jerusalem up the hill and you had people barricading the entry to jerusalem who were opposed to the ceasefire deal, who do not want to see palestinian prisoners, who carried out bus bombing terror attacks in the 90s, for example, being released as they

are scheduled to be released, and they want israel to continue to prosecute the war to remove hamas from power. and in tel aviv, about 30 miles away, you have the families and the supporters of the families of the hostages, who say this is long overdue, bring everybody home no matter what the price. and within his own coalition, he has people who are opposed to the deal. but yes, once this war is over, there is going to be a reckoning with prime minister netanyahu, because of the horrors of october seven that occurred on his watch. and investigations into that, and he also has his own different corruption trails that are going on. so he 1530 00:11:36,547 --> 0