Thousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza trekking by foot, car, and cart back to their abandoned homes as a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas appeared to be holding.
“It is an indescribable feeling; praise be to God,” said Nabila Basal as she travelled by foot with her daughter, who she said had suffered a head wound in the war. “We are very, very happy that the war has stopped, and the suffering has ended.”
Israeli troops pulled back under the first phase of a US-brokered agreement reached this week to end the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left much of the enclave in ruins.
US President Donald Trump will join the leaders of more than 20 countries in Egypt on Monday for an international summit aimed at finalising permanent peace terms, a spokesperson for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said. The summit will take place in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
Hamas is expected to release its remaining Israeli hostages by noon on the same day, in accordance with the terms of the ceasefire.
