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Under the agreement, Hamas is expected to release all remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours, while Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving long prison terms and 1700 detainees captured during the war.
Thousands of Palestinians were seen streaming north along Gaza’s devastated coastline on Saturday, trekking on foot, in cars and on donkey carts, as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appeared to hold under the first phase of a United States-brokered peace agreement.
The truce, aimed at ending two years of brutal conflict that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left much of Gaza in ruins, has prompted Israeli troops to pull back from several key urban areas while still maintaining control over roughly half of the enclave, according to Reuters.
Under the agreement, Hamas is expected to release all remaining Israeli hostages within 72 hours, while Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving long prison terms and 1700 detainees captured during the war.
Humanitarian aid has also begun to flow in, with hundreds of trucks carrying food, medicine, and essential supplies expected to enter Gaza daily as part of the deal.
“We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended,” said Nabila Basal, a displaced resident walking with her injured daughter back toward their home.
For families of Israeli hostages, relief and anxiety mixed. “We are waiting for our son and for all the 48 hostages,” said Hagai Angrest, whose son Matan is among the captives believed to still be alive.
“We are waiting for the phone call.”
At least 26 hostages have been declared dead, while the fate of two others remains unknown.
The ceasefire deal — the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war began — was reached after intense mediation led by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff arrived in Gaza early Saturday alongside Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), who said a new multinational task force would support post-war stabilisation efforts but that U.S. troops would not be deployed inside the enclave.
Speaking from the White House, Trump expressed optimism that the ceasefire would hold.
“They’re all tired of the fighting,” he said, adding that “there’s a consensus” on next steps, though key issues remain unresolved — including the future governance of Gaza and the fate of Hamas, which continues to reject Israel’s demand for total disarmament.
Trump is expected to travel to the region on Monday, where he will become the first U.S. president since George W. Bush in 2008 to address Israel’s Knesset.
He is also expected to visit Egypt as part of efforts to rally regional support for his proposed 20-point peace plan.
SAHARA REPORTERS
