Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza yesterday, trekking by foot, car and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.
Israeli troops pulled back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement reached this week to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was in Gaza early yesterday to observe the Israeli military redeployment, Israeli Army Radio reported, citing a security source.
Photo: Reuters
He was joined by US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, who said in a statement that his visit was part of the establishment of a task force that would support stabilization efforts in Gaza, although US troops would not be deployed inside the enclave.
Once the Israeli forces had completed their redeployment on Friday, which kept them out of major urban areas, but still in control of about half the enclave, the clock began ticking for Hamas to release its hostages within 72 hours.
“We are very excited, waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages,” said Hagai Angrest, whose son Matan is among the 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive. “We are waiting for the phone call.”
Photo: Reuters
Twenty-six hostages have been declared dead in absentia, and the fate of two more is unknown.
After the hostages are handed over, Israel would free 250 Palestinians serving long sentences in its prisons and 1,700 detainees captured during the war, the agreement said.
Hundreds of trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food and medical aid, it said.
However, questions remain about whether the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the biggest step yet toward ending two years of war, would lead to a lasting peace under Trump’s 20-point plan.
Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump’s plan have yet to be agreed upon. These include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel’s demands that it disarm.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold.
“They’re all tired of the fighting,” Trump said, adding that he believed there was a “consensus” on the next steps, but some details still have to be worked out.
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