New Delhi, Oct 10: A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has now come into effect after Israeli troops began withdrawing from parts of Gaza early morning, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) quoted by BBC.

The IDF said its forces had repositioned “along the lines agreed under the Trump plan,” adding that troops would “continue to remove any immediate threat” even as the ceasefire holds.

The development follows the Israeli government’s approval of a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, which could mark a turning point in the two-year-old war. Under the agreement, Hamas has 72 hours to release all remaining Israeli hostages, while Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian detainees held in its prisons.

“We are at a momentous development,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared shortly after midnight BST, as confirmation came through that both sides had agreed to the plan.

BBC correspondents report that Israeli troops began pulling back overnight, taking up new positions within Gaza as part of the first phase of the deal. The IDF confirmed that the ceasefire had formally taken effect in the early hours.

The mood in Gaza, BBC reports, is a “mixture of hope and fear” as residents cautiously welcome what could be the end of one of the deadliest conflicts in recent years.

Once the agreement is fully implemented, aid convoys are expected to surge into Gaza, bringing urgently needed food, fuel, and medical supplies for more than two million displaced people.

The deal’s first phase — the withdrawal and the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners — is set to unfold over the next three days. However, analysts caution that major challenges remain, including future talks on Gaza’s political status, the possible return of the Palestinian Authority, and broader discussions over the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, US officials confirmed that 200 American troops have been deployed to Israel to assist in coordinating the ceasefire and aid logistics. Washington stressed that no US personnel would enter Gaza itself. BBC reports that international observers are watching closely to see whether the fragile truce will hold beyond the initial 72-hour window, paving the way for a longer-term peace arrangement.

Oslo, Oct 10: Opposition activist Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The former opposition presidential candidate in Venezuela was lauded for being a “key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.

Experts say the committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of international fraternity and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen those goals.

Last year’s award went to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of Japanese atomic bombing survivors who have worked for decades to maintain a taboo around the use of nuclear weapons.

The peace prize is the only one of the annual Nobel prizes to be awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Four of the other prizes have already been awarded in the Swedish capital, Stockholm this week — in medicine on Monday, physics on Tuesday, chemistry on Wednesday and literature on Thursday. The winner of the prize in economics will be announced on Monday.

New Delhi, Oct 10: As the world waits with bated breath for the announcement of the winner of the most highly coveted of all the Nobel prizes, the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, US President Donald Trump, who has been gunning for the prestigious award, lashed out at former US President Barack Obama who had been honoured with the Peace Prize in the first eight months of his first term.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump said that though he had secured peace in Gaza and ended “eight wars”, he did not do it for an award.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do, really, but I know this: That nobody in history has solved eight wars in a period of nine months, and I’ve stopped eight wars. So that’s never happened before, but they’ll have to do what they do. Whatever they do is fine. I know this: I didn’t do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives,” he said.

He also took a swipe at President Barrack Obama, who got the coveted Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, soon after taking charge of the top job in America and stated, “He got a prize for doing nothing… He got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country… Obama was not a good President.”

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is much awaited as it has stirred intense speculation with President Trump emerging as a frontrunner and, also pushing for it aggressively. Several nations like Israel, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Thailand, Armenia and Cambodia, are said to have nominated the US President, crediting Trump with mediating several protracted conflicts.

Meanwhile, the world and especially all those who hope to make the cut, eagerly await the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) in Oslo on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Significantly, the prestigious award has drawn 338 nominations this year, including 94 organisations and 244 people from different walks of life.

The official announcement will be made by Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.

The committee consists of Norwegian human rights advocate Jorgen Watne Frydnes, foreign policy scholar Asle Toje, former Acting Prime Minister of Norway Anne Enger, former Norwegian Minister of Education Kristin Clemet, and former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Gry Larsen.