On the second day of a ceasefire that is, for now, holding, Palestinians in Gaza are walking back into neighborhoods that no longer resemble themselves, searching for ground to stand on after two years of war. Across the border, families and a nation that has waited nearly two years are preparing for the return of the hostages still held, while a deal sealed in writing begins the slow, uncertain work of exchanging the living and the dead. The larger question hanging over the rubble is not only who will be freed, but who will hold the land afterward, and whether the pause becomes a peace or onl
Gaza Ceasefire Holds as Palestinians Return to Ruins and Hostage Release Nears
More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza per the Health Ministry, about 250 hostages were taken in 2023, and 45 bodies were recovered from rubble in one day.
"I have no idea where we should live or where to go."
Mark
What's the clearest image from this weekend?
Mimi
Two crowds. In Gaza City, people walking back to rubble with bulldozers working around them. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of thousands gathered ahead of the hostages' expected release on Monday.
Mark
The deal says the exchange happens without public ceremonies. Why?
Mimi
The text says mediators and the Red Cross will facilitate it without ceremonies or media coverage. The source doesn't give a reason.
Luke
And that text comes with a caveat. The AP got a photo of the document, two officials confirmed it, and the U.S. didn't say whether it's authentic.
Mark
So the 250 prisoners and 1,700 detainees are from that document?
Mimi
Yes. Israel is to free about 250 serving sentences and around 1,700 taken from Gaza and held without charge. Prisoners have been moved to Ofer and Ktzi'ot, awaiting political instructions.
Luke
Worth noting that's a transfer, not a release. Nothing here says when they go.
Mark
What about food?
Mimi
An anonymous U.N. official says Israel approved expanded deliveries from Sunday. WFP is ready to restore 145 distribution points, up from the four the foundation ran, and 170,000 tons wait in neighboring countries.
Luke
But the timeline is unclear, and the approval comes from one unnamed source. I'd wait to see trucks.
Mark
And the casualty figures?
Luke
The 67,000 is the Gaza Health Ministry's number. It's part of the Hamas-run government, though the U.N. and many experts consider it the most reliable estimate. The 45 bodies at Shifa come from one anonymous manager.
Mimi
And the toll is expected to rise as more bodies are found.
Il Polso
- Tens of thousands of Palestinians are wading back into streets flattened by two years of bombardment, finding only debris where their homes once stood.
- Bulldozers grind through the wreckage while crews pull bodies from rubble, with 45 recovered in a single day and the death toll above 67,000.
- Israel prepares to free about 250 prisoners and 1,700 detainees as the 48 remaining hostages await Monday's release, with roughly 20 believed alive.
- Aid is stuck at the gates: 170,000 tons of food wait across the border while mediators, the Red Cross and U.S. troops scramble to open more distribution points.
- Nobody has settled who will govern Gaza or whether Hamas will disarm, and Netanyahu has warned the offensive could resume if it does not.
On the second day of a ceasefire that is, for now, holding, Palestinians in Gaza are walking back into neighborhoods that no longer resemble themselves, searching for ground to stand on after two years of war. Across the border, families and a nation that has waited nearly two years are preparing for the return of the hostages still held, while a deal sealed in writing begins the slow, uncertain work of exchanging the living and the dead. The larger question hanging over the rubble is not only who will be freed, but who will hold the land afterward, and whether the pause becomes a peace or only a breath before the next storm.
In Gaza City on Saturday, bulldozers were clawing through the wreckage of two years of war. Mahmoud al-Shandoghli stood among what remained of his neighborhood and said that Gaza was completely destroyed, and that he had no idea where people should live or where they should go. Nearby, a boy climbed a heap of debris and raised the Palestinian flag.
It was the second day of the ceasefire, and it was holding. Tens of thousands of Palestinians walked back to their neighborhoods to see what was left. In Israel, the mood was different. Families were preparing for Monday, when the military says the 48 hostages still in Gaza are to be freed, about 20 of them believed to be alive. In Tel Aviv, a weekly rally that many hoped would be the last drew hundreds of thousands. Steve Witkoff told the hostages they were coming home, and attendees waved American flags and hugged, though one, Yaniv Peretz, warned that hard moments still lay ahead.
The signed agreement sets out the exchange in detail. Hamas must share information about any hostage bodies not returned within 72 hours, and Israel will share information on Palestinian remains it holds. A mechanism backed by mediators and the Red Cross will oversee the exchange, with no public ceremonies. About 250 prisoners and around 1,700 people held without charge are to be released. Food is the most urgent need, with a U.N. official saying expanded deliveries are approved to begin Sunday, though the timeline remains unclear.
The human toll is still being counted. At Shifa Hospital, 45 bodies arrived from Gaza City rubble in a single day, some missing for up to two weeks. Gaza's Health Ministry reports more than 67,000 Palestinians killed, about half of them women and children.
Who will govern Gaza, and whether Hamas will disarm, remain unresolved. Israel says it will act defensively from the roughly half of Gaza it still controls, and Netanyahu has suggested the offensive could resume if Hamas does not disarm.
In Gaza City on Saturday, bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war while Mahmoud al-Shandoghli stood among what was left of his neighborhood. "Gaza is completely destroyed," he said. "I have no idea where we should live or where to go." Nearby, a boy climbed a pile of debris and raised the Palestinian flag.
It was the second day of the ceasefire, and it was holding. Tens of thousands of Palestinians walked back to their neighborhoods to see what remained. In Israel, the mood ran the other way: people were preparing for Monday, when the military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza are to be freed. The government believes about 20 of them are alive.
In Tel Aviv, a weekly rally that many hoped would be the last drew a crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, addressed it. Witkoff told the hostages, "you are coming home." Kushner said the celebration would come Monday, and also acknowledged the suffering in Gaza. People applauded Trump, and some booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Attendees hugged, took selfies and waved American flags. One of them, Yaniv Peretz, said it was a happy time but that "some incredibly difficult moments" were still ahead.
About 200 U.S. troops have arrived in Israel to monitor the truce. They will set up a center to ease the flow of humanitarian aid and provide logistical and security help. Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said the effort would be carried out with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza. Egypt's presidency said Trump will co-chair a peace summit there on Monday on Gaza and the wider Middle East, and France confirmed President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Egypt that day.
The Associated Press obtained a photo of the signed agreement, and two officials, one from a signatory country, confirmed its authenticity. Both spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the talks; the U.S. did not confirm it. The text says Hamas must share all information about any hostage bodies not returned within the first 72 hours, while Israel will provide information on the remains of deceased Palestinians from Gaza that it holds. A mechanism backed by mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross will handle the exchange and is meant to ensure all hostages are exhumed and released, with no public ceremonies or media coverage. Israel is to free about 250 Palestinians serving sentences and around 1,700 people taken from Gaza over the past two years and held without charge. The Israel Prison Service said prisoners were moved to deportation facilities at Ofer and Ktzi'ot, awaiting instructions from the political echelon.
Food is the other urgent question. Aid groups are pressing Israel to reopen more crossings into famine-stricken Gaza. A U.N. official, speaking anonymously, said Israel has approved expanded deliveries beginning Sunday. The World Food Program says it can restore 145 distribution points, compared with 400 before Israel sealed Gaza in March, and more than the four run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May. The timeline is unclear. About 170,000 metric tons of food sit in neighboring countries awaiting Israeli permission.
The human toll is still being counted. A manager at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza told the AP, anonymously for safety reasons, that 45 bodies pulled from Gaza City rubble arrived in the past 24 hours, people missing from several days to two weeks. Gaza's Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, says more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, about half of them women and children; the U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable available. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostage.
Who governs Gaza, and whether Hamas disarms, remain open. Trump's 20-point plan keeps an open-ended Israeli presence along the border, with an international force, largely from Arab and Muslim states, handling security inside on an unclear timeline. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi wants that force authorized by the U.N. Security Council. Israel says it will operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls. Netanyahu, who ended the previous ceasefire in March, has suggested the offensive could resume if Hamas does not disarm.
Citazioni salienti
Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go.— Mahmoud al-Shandoghli, Gaza City resident
This great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza.— Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command
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War & Conflict