Gaza’s civil defence department has reported that over 500,000 individuals have returned to Gaza City following the implementation of a ceasefire, reports RTE.
“More than half a million people have returned to Gaza (City) since yesterday,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the civil defence service operating under the Hamas-run administration, reports RTE.
Thousands of Palestinians made their way north along Gaza’s coastline, returning to homes they had fled. They travelled on foot, by car, or on carts, taking advantage of a fragile truce between Hamas and Israel that, so far, is holding.
As part of the initial stage of a US-negotiated deal to bring an end to the conflict, Israeli forces withdrew from parts of Gaza. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and widespread devastation across the territory, reports RTE.
“It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God,” said Nabila Basal as she walked with her daughter, who she said had been injured in the head during the fighting. We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended,” reports RTE.
Following Israel’s repositioning of troops yesterday—moving out of heavily populated zones but still holding about half of the territory—the countdown began 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 one of the 20 Israeli captives still believed to be alive. “We are waiting for the phone call,” reports RTE.
So far, 26 hostages have been officially declared dead, while the whereabouts and condition of two others remain unclear.
Under the terms of the agreement, once hostages are released, Israel is to free 250 long-term Palestinian prisoners, along with 1,700 individuals detained throughout the course of the war.
The ceasefire deal also allows for hundreds of aid trucks to enter Gaza each day, delivering essential supplies like food and medical assistance.
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Gaza earlier today to monitor the repositioning of Israeli forces, according to a security source cited by Israeli Army Radio, reports RTE.
He was joined by Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), who issued a statement saying the visit was part of efforts to create a task force that will assist in stabilising Gaza—while confirming that no US troops will be deployed inside the territory.
A senior Hamas figure has told AFP the group is prepared to fight again if hostilities resume, and firmly opposes any proposals that would place Gaza under the administration set out in Donald Trump’s peace framework, reports RTE.
Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, warned of likely challenges in negotiations ahead—particularly around the sensitive issue of Hamas disarmament, which may become a major point of contention.
Badran was speaking from Doha, the site of a recent Israeli strike on a Hamas meeting that killed six, as the ceasefire continues ahead of Monday’s deadline for the release of Israeli hostages taken on October 7, 2023, reports RTE.
Hossam Badran said: “It is important to note that Hamas’s weapons are not the only ones. Today we are talking about weapons that are the weapons of the entire Palestinian people, and weapons in the Palestinian case are a natural thing and a part of history, the present, and the future. That is the natural situation, as I said, for every people living under occupation… (and) what weapons are they talking about? Are they talking about tanks? About fighter jets? About advanced weaponry? The weapons possessed by Hamas and by the resistance are individual weapons for the defence of the Palestinian people,” reports RTE.
Hossam Badran said : “I believe that all observers and followers did not expect this war to continue for two years, while the resistance, with the help of the Qassam Brigades and others, remains capable of steadfastness, endurance, and directing blows at the occupation army. We hope that we will not return to (war), but our Palestinian people and the resistance force will undoubtedly confront and use all their capabilities to repel this aggression if this battle is imposed,” reports RTE.
Hossam Badran: “The Hamas leaders present in the Gaza Strip are present on their land, the land they have lived on for many years, among their families and people. Therefore, the normal situation is for them to remain there… We long for the day when we can return to the land from which we were banished and displaced. Talk about expelling Palestinians, whether they’re Hamas members or not, from their land is absurd and nonsense,” reports RTE.
Hossam Badran: “We are dealing primarily through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, of course… The matter of the official signing – we will not be involved,” reports RTE.
Hossam Badran: “It is not important whether it will be achieved in the near future or not. What is important is that the world realises that the Palestinian issue cannot be ignored. If we do not obtain our right to establish our state during this coming phase, there will be no stability in this region, and the Palestinian people will continue and will persist in their struggle and resistance by all forms and by all means until this fundamental goal for Palestinians is achieved,” reports RTE.
Nevertheless, many aspects of Trump’s proposed peace plan remain unresolved, including how Hamas would be disarmed and who would govern Gaza after the war.
It remains uncertain whether this current ceasefire and the large-scale hostage-prisoner exchange—seen as a major breakthrough—will pave the way to lasting peace through Trump’s broader 20-point strategy, reports RTE.
The situation is still fragile. Several key points in President Trump’s peace initiative remain undecided.
These include how the ravaged Gaza Strip will be governed after hostilities cease and the fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israeli demands to give up its weapons, reports RTE.
At a White House press briefing, President Trump voiced optimism that the ceasefire would continue, stating: “They’re all tired of the fighting.”
He added that he believed there was broad agreement on the way forward, although he acknowledged some outstanding issues still need to be resolved.
According to health officials in Gaza, Israeli strikes have killed over 67,000 Palestinians—mostly civilians—during the past two years. These numbers have been deemed credible by the United Nations, reports RTE.
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