Photo credit: Al Jazeera
As Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds, tens of thousands of forcibly displaced Palestinians are returning to their devastated towns and cities in northern Gaza.
Al Jazeera reports that the Israeli military has partially withdrawn from the territory under the first phase of a peace deal with Hamas.
President Donald Trump of the US said Israeli captives held in Gaza are due for release on Monday.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front f or the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have said they reject “any foreign guardianship” of the Gaza Strip. Gaza officials have called for an independent, international investigation into war crimes and genocide during Israel’s war on the enclave.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for all crossings into Gaza to be opened, saying that there are 6,000 aid trucks ready to reach Gaza in hours.
Israel’s Gaza war has killed at least 67,211 people and wounded 169,961 since October 2023c. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, attacks and about 200 were taken captive.
