Displaced Palestinians trip on vehicles loaded with belongings and wave Egyptian and Palestinian flags as they journey alongside the coastal street close to Wadi Gaza within the central Gaza Strip, shifting towards Gaza metropolis, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, after Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause of their battle and the discharge of the remaining hostages.
Jehad Alshrafi | AP Photograph
The Gaza ceasefire held in its second day as tens of 1000’s of displaced Palestinians returned to their neighborhoods Saturday and Israelis cheered Monday’s anticipated launch of remaining hostages.
“Gaza is totally destroyed. I do not know the place we should always dwell or the place to go,” mentioned Mahmoud al-Shandoghli in Gaza Metropolis as bulldozers clawed by means of the wreckage of two years of battle. A boy climbed a shattered constructing to boost the Palestinian flag.
Israelis applauded U.S. President Donald Trump, and a few booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner addressed a weekly rally in Tel Aviv that many hoped can be the final.
“To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you might be coming dwelling,” Witkoff instructed the gang estimated within the tons of of 1000’s. Kushner mentioned they’d have a good time on Monday, when Israel’s navy has mentioned the 48 hostages nonetheless in Gaza can be freed. The federal government believes round 20 stay alive.
Individuals hugged and took selfies. Some chanted, “Thanks Trump,” and plenty of waved U.S. flags. “It is a actually completely happy time, however we all know that there are going to be some extremely troublesome moments coming,” mentioned one particular person within the crowd, Yaniv Peretz.
About 200 U.S. troops arrived in Israel to watch the ceasefire with Hamas. They’ll arrange a middle to facilitate the circulation of humanitarian support in addition to logistical and safety help.
“This nice effort will probably be achieved with no U.S. boots on the bottom in Gaza,” mentioned Adm. Brad Cooper, the pinnacle of the U.S. navy’s Central Command. Israel mentioned Witkoff, Kushner and Cooper met with senior U.S. and Israeli navy officers in Gaza on Saturday.
Tons of desperately wanted meals
Assist teams urged Israel to reopen extra crossings to permit support into famine-stricken Gaza. A U.N. official, talking on situation of anonymity to debate particulars not but public, mentioned Israel has permitted expanded support deliveries, beginning Sunday.
The World Meals Program mentioned it was prepared to revive 145 meals distribution factors throughout the territory, as soon as Israel permits for expanded deliveries. Earlier than Israel sealed off Gaza in March, U.N. companies offered meals at 400 distribution factors.
Although the timeline and the way the meals will enter Gaza stay unclear, the distribution factors will enable Palestinians to entry meals at extra places than they might by means of the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis, which had operated 4 places since taking on distribution in late Might.
COGAT, the Israeli navy physique answerable for humanitarian support, mentioned greater than 500 vehicles entered Gaza on Friday, though many crossings stay closed. Some 170,000 metric tons of meals support have been positioned in neighboring nations awaiting Israeli permission.
Israel is also to free some 250 Palestinians serving jail sentences, in addition to round 1,700 folks seized from Gaza the previous two years and held with out cost. The Israel Jail Service mentioned prisoners have been transferred to deportation amenities at Ofer and Ktzi’ot prisons, “awaiting directions from the political echelon.”
Questions on Gaza’s future
Questions stay on who will govern Gaza after Israeli troops step by step pull again and whether or not Hamas will disarm, as referred to as for within the ceasefire settlement.
Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended the earlier ceasefire in March, has steered Israel may resume its offensive if Hamas fails to disarm.
“If it is achieved the simple method, so be it. If not, it is going to be achieved the laborious method,” Netanyahu mentioned Friday, pledging that the subsequent stage would convey Hamas’ disarmament.
The dimensions of Gaza’s destruction will grow to be clearer if the truce holds. Greater than three out of each 4 buildings have been destroyed, the U.N. mentioned in September — a quantity of particles equal to 25 Eiffel Towers, a lot of it probably poisonous.
The demise toll is anticipated to rise as extra our bodies are discovered that could not be retrieved throughout Israel’s offensive.
A supervisor at northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital instructed The Related Press that 45 our bodies pulled from the rubble in Gaza Metropolis had arrived over the previous 24 hours. The supervisor, talking on situation of anonymity for security causes, mentioned the our bodies had been lacking for a number of days to 2 weeks.
New safety preparations
Trump’s preliminary 20-point plan requires Israel to take care of an open-ended navy presence inside Gaza, alongside its border with Israel. A world drive, largely of troops from Arab and Muslim nations, can be liable for safety inside Gaza, although the timeline is unclear.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday referred to as for the Gaza deployment of a global drive licensed by the U.N. Safety Council.
The Israeli navy has mentioned it would proceed to function defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it nonetheless controls after pulling again to agreed-upon traces.
Witkoff instructed Israeli officers on Friday that the USA would set up a middle in Israel to coordinate points regarding Gaza till there’s a everlasting authorities, in line with a readout of the assembly obtained by the AP. One other official who was not licensed to talk to the media confirmed the readout’s contents.
The battle started when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 folks and taking about 250 hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, greater than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, in line with Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants however says round half the deaths have been ladies and youngsters. The ministry is a part of the Hamas-run authorities, and the U.N. and plenty of unbiased consultants contemplate its figures to be essentially the most dependable estimate of wartime casualties.
The battle has additionally triggered different conflicts within the area, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.