Israeli military says Gaza ceasefire deal went into effect at 12:00 local time

TEL AVIV - The Israeli military said on Friday that the Gaza ceasefire agreement went into effect at midday local time (0900 GMT).

"Since 12:00, IDF troops began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages", the Israeli military said.

UNICEF on Friday called for all crossings for food aid into Gaza to be opened, warning there was a risk that child deaths could spike due to their compromised immune systems.

"The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before," said UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires.