Gaza City, Saturday — Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along Gaza’s battered coastline on Saturday, trekking by foot, car, and donkey cart back to their long-abandoned homes as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to hold for a second day.
Israeli troops have pulled back under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered agreement aimed at ending the devastating two-year war that has left tens of thousands dead and much of the enclave in ruins.
“It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God,” said Nabila Basal, who was returning home on foot with her injured daughter. “We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended.”
According to Israeli Army Radio, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, arrived in Gaza early Saturday to observe the Israeli military redeployment. He was joined by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), who confirmed that Washington would help coordinate stabilisation efforts but would not deploy troops inside the enclave.
Once Israel completed its troop pullback on Friday — keeping forces out of major urban areas but maintaining control of roughly half of Gaza — the clock began ticking for Hamas to release hostages within 72 hours, as stipulated in the agreement.
“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.
Under the terms of the deal, Hamas is to release all remaining hostages in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinians serving long sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 detainees captured during the war.
Additionally, hundreds of aid trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food, fuel, and medical supplies, offering a glimmer of hope to the devastated civilian population.
Despite the ceasefire, uncertainty looms over what comes next. The truce and prisoner exchange mark the biggest step yet towards ending the war, but major unresolved issues remain — including who will govern Gaza once the fighting ends, and the future of Hamas, which has rejected Israeli demands to disarm.
Speaking from the White House, President Trump expressed optimism that the ceasefire would hold.
“They’re all tired of the fighting,” Trump said. “I believe there’s a consensus on the next steps, but some details still have to be worked out.”
Trump is expected to visit the region on Monday and deliver a historic address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament — becoming the first U.S. president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008. He will also travel to Egypt, where regional leaders are expected to meet to discuss the next phase of the peace plan.
The conflict, which began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israeli communities, military bases, and a music festival, has claimed staggering losses. The attack killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 251 hostages.
In the ensuing war, Israeli airstrikes and ground operations killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health officials.
As people cautiously return to their shattered homes and aid begins to flow in, hope flickers that this truce could mark the start of an enduring peace — though, as many in Gaza say, “hope alone cannot rebuild the ruins.”
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