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Israeli forces redeployedHostages to be released by Monday noonQuestions remain about Trump's planTrump expected to travel to Israel, EgyptThousands of Palestinians streamed north along the coast of Gaza on Saturday, 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.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.**media[367309]**"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."US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was in Gaza early Saturday to observe the Israeli military redeployment, Israeli Army Radio reported, citing a security source.**media[367311]**He was joined by the head of the US military's Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, who said in a statement that his visit was part of the establishment of a task force that would support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, though US troops would not be deployed inside the enclave.Once the Israeli forces had completed their redeployment on Friday, which keeps them out of major urban areas but still in control of roughly half the enclave, the clock began ticking for Hamas to release its hostages within 72 hours."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. "We are waiting for the phone call."**media[367310]**Twenty-six hostages have been declared dead in absentia and the fate of two more is unknown.According to the agreement, after the hostages are handed over, Israel will free 250 Palestinians serving long sentences in its prisons and 1,700 detainees captured during the war.Hundreds of trucks per day are expected to surge into Gaza carrying food and medical aid, according to the agreement.**media[367307]**But questions remain about whether the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange deal, the biggest step yet towards ending two years of war, will lead to a lasting peace under Trump's 20-point plan.Much could still go wrong. Further steps in Trump's plan have yet to be agreed.These include how the demolished Gaza Strip is to be ruled when fighting ends, and the ultimate fate of Hamas, which has rejected Israel's demands it disarm.Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump expressed confidence the ceasefire would hold, saying: "They're all tired of the fighting." He said he believed there was a "consensus" on the next steps but acknowledged some details still have to be worked out.**media[367306]**Israelis and Palestinians alike rejoiced after the deal was announced to end a war in which more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, and to return the last hostages seized by Hamas.Trump is expected to visit the region on Monday and address the Knesset, Israel's parliament, the first US president to do so since George W. Bush in 2008.Trump said he would also travel to Egypt and that other world leaders were expected to be present.

International agencies were preparing Saturday to pour aid into Gaza, hopeful a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will allow them to put an end to the famine haunting parts of the territory.But optimism was marked with caution.The fragile truce could open access, but aid agencies fear Israel may continue to impose restrictions on access under US President Donald Trump's plan.Logistical hurdles are far from the mind of displaced father Marwan al-Madhun.The 34-year-old just wants to know when the trucks will arrive."My children are mainly happy to know that meat and chicken will arrive at last," he told AFP in central Gaza, as tens of thousands of Palestinians started to walk back to homes destroyed during fighting in the north."It's been two years that they've been deprived," he said. "At last, the crossing points will open!"On August 22, the United Nations declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, after experts warned 500,000 people faced a "catastrophic" threat.Israel has accused Hamas of manufacturing a crisis and stealing aid.Now, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs says Israel has approved delivery of 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of truce."The most basic necessities are still urgently needed in Gaza: medical equipment, medicines, food, water, fuel, and adequate shelter for two million people who will face the approaching winter without a roof over their heads," said Jacob Granger, Gaza coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.Representatives of Granger's organisation, the World Food Programme and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said they were ready to step up shipments, but much remains unclear."The difficulty we have now is questions of access," said Antoine Renard, WFP director in the Palestinian territories, speaking from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.The WFP, which leads the group of organisations handling food security, has begun discussions with COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency for civilian affairs in the territories.On Friday, empty WFP trucks were seen leaving Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and heading to the Kerem Shalom crossing to be loaded with food aid for distribution inside Gaza.The Trump plan foresees a return to the UN-led aid system in place before January 2025, when Israel sealed Gaza's borders and a private US-led operation took over aid distribution."But the conditions on the ground are different," Renard said.Since Israel's latest offensive into the cities in the north of Gaza last month, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been driven from the homes -- many of which were destroyed -- into central and southern Gaza.This has shifted pressure for food aid into a now overcrowded area whose original residents were already struggling.The Trump plan states "full aid will be immediately sent to the Gaza Strip" as soon as the agreement comes into effect, "without interference from either party."Several humanitarian sources expressed optimism, despite concerns about security and registration procedures, on which Israel has yet to provide guidance."We are pushing different embassies and donors to speak to the Israeli authorities on their end, because we need, for example, trucks that can make round trips to the distribution platforms without facing constraints on the Israeli side," an official from a medical agency told AFP.Since spring, most of the aid on which Palestinian civilians depend has been supplied by the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.The UN Human Rights Office says GHF operations -- supported by the United States and Israel -- have seen 1,000 people killed near distribution sites.Several aid officials told AFP they were not involved in planning for the ceasefire."We don't have a lot of visibility on what exactly has been agreed on yet, but we will do everything we can," said Shaina Low, NRC spokeswoman."Humanitarian aid should never be subject to negotiation -- it's a fundamental right for people in need," she argued."The fact that it's tied to a ceasefire deal is problematic, as it should not be used as a bargaining chip -- just as the hostages never should have been."

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani received a phone call Friday from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. During the call, they discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories in light of the agreement on provisions and mechanisms for implementing the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement and means to ensure its full implementation.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the success of the first phase of the agreement is a collective responsibility to ensure its implementation and achieve peace and stability in the region. He also affirmed that Qatar will spare no effort in fulfilling its humanitarian, historical, and diplomatic duty towards the Palestinians.For his part, the UN Secretary-General appreciated the pivotal diplomatic role played by Qatar in facilitating the negotiations and its tireless efforts that contributed to reaching the agreement.

US President Donald Trump plans to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter.Among those expected to participate are representatives from Qatar, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia, Axios said, citing the sources.

Mixed emotions as Gazans cheer US-brokered truce deal but face wreckage of pre-war lives'Okay, it is over - then what? There is no home I can go back to,' says displaced mother of five'We are happy just to return to where our homes were. That, too, is a great joy,' says displaced Gaza manAs thousands of Gazans began picking through the ruins of their shattered homes on Friday after a ceasefire deal, the excitement of return was quickly tempered by shock at the depth of the destruction and anxiety over the hardships ahead.The announcement that the US-brokered accord had gone into effect sent thousands of Palestinians pouring up the Gaza Strip's coastal road by foot, bicycle, truck and donkey cart toward the largely devastated north.Essentially all of Gaza's 2.2 million population was displaced during two years of unrelenting war that has killed tens of thousands of people and reduced huge swathes of the enclave to ruins.For some, the prospect of returning even to the remnants of their former houses was enough to inspire elation."Of course, there are no homes - they've been destroyed - but we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble," Mahdi Saqla, 40, said as he stood by a makeshift tent in central Gaza. "That, too, is a great joy."Trudging along the road along with her family, former Gaza City resident Mahira al-Ashi said she was so excited to return to the city where she'd grown up that she couldn't sleep as she waited for news about when they could start moving."By God, when they opened the road, I was so happy to go back," she said.But for many of those who have already returned, the stark reality of the situation quickly sank in.To the south, in the city of Khan Younis, Ahmed al-Brim pushed a bicycle loaded with wood through a scene of apocalyptic destruction - row after row of buildings crumpled by bombardment and streets strewn with rubble."We went to our area - it was exterminated," he said, waving a hand through the air. "We don't know where we will go after that."Another Khan Younis resident, Muhannad al-Shawaf, said it used to take him three minutes to reach a nearby street from his house. Now, took over an hour as he picked his way through piles of debris."The destruction is huge and indescribable - indescribable," he said. "It is almost all in ruins and not suitable for living in."Despite the widespread celebrations that greeted news of the ceasefire, many Palestinians were keenly aware even before going back that little remained of the lives they knew before the war."Okay, it is over - then what? There is no home I can go back to," Balqees, a mother of five from Gaza City who has been sheltering in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, told Reuters on Friday morning."They have destroyed everything. Tens of thousands of people are dead, the Gaza Strip is in ruins, and they made a ceasefire. Am I supposed to be happy? No, I am not."Her sentiments were echoed by Mustafa Ibrahim, an activist and human rights advocate from Gaza City who also took refuge in Deir al-Balah, one of the few areas in the enclave not overrun and levelled by Israeli forces."Laughter has vanished and tears have run dry," he said. "The people of Gaza are lost, as if they are the walking dead, searching for a distant future."Some former Gaza City residents had already started heading back even before the ceasefire went into effect, some making it as far as the northwest suburb of Sheikh Radwan.Among them was Ismail Zayda, a 40-year-old father of three, who went to check on his house on Friday morning and was amazed to find it still intact - albeit amid a "sea of rubble"."Thank God, my house is still standing," he told Reuters in a voice note. "But the area is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed - entire districts are gone."

Unicef says children's deaths could spikeChildren haven't eaten properly for 'way too long'WFP, Israeli security source expect 600 trucks a day to enter GazaUNRWA says it has enough food for three months waiting outside GazaThe UN children's charity Unicef called on Friday for all crossings for food aid into war-shattered Gaza to be opened, saying children in the territory were especially vulnerable because they have gone without proper food for long periods."The situation is critical. We risk seeing a massive spike in child death, not only neonatal, but also infants, given their immune systems are more compromised than ever before," said Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires.Children's immunity is low because "they haven't been eating properly and recently at all for way too long", he said.Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of the Palestinian territory on Friday under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, in the first phase of an initiative by US President Donald Trump to end the two-year-old war.The United Nations plans to ramp up its delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, where some areas are experiencing famine, in the first 60 days of a ceasefire in the enclave, a top UN official said on Thursday.An Israeli security source and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said they expect about 600 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily."Under the ceasefire arrangement, we will have more than 145 community distribution points, in addition to up to 30 bakeries and all of our nutrition sites," Ross Smith, WFP Director of Emergencies, told Reuters on Friday.The WFP expects to begin scaling up deliveries early next week, but that would depend on the withdrawal of Israeli forces so that humanitarian safe zones can be expanded.COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows into Gaza, did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.In a televised address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would stay in Gaza to ensure the territory was demilitarised and that Hamas disarmed in future stages of Trump's plan.Access to northern Gaza is critical, the WFP said, with up to 400,000 people who have not received assistance for several weeks.The agency has urged improved scanning and approval of aid convoys to speed truck entry.Unicef said 50,000 children were at risk of acute malnutrition and in need of immediate treatment. Unicef also aims to provide one million blankets for every child in Gaza and hopes to deliver wheelchairs and crutches, which it said had previously been blocked.Both Unicef and the UN Palestinian refugee relief agency UNRWA said they have yet to receive details on their roles during the ceasefire.UNRWA, which is banned from operating in Israel, has urged the Israeli authorities to allow it to take 6,000 trucks' worth of aid into Gaza, including enough food to feed the population for three months, from Jordan and Egypt."We've not had any progress to move those supplies into Gaza... and this is absolutely critical in controlling the spread of famine," Juliette Touma, the spokesperson for UNRWA, said.CARE International told Reuters on Friday it still had not received clearance for its supplies to enter as it faces ongoing registration barriers, like other agencies including the Norwegian Refugee Council."We still need clarity on how we'll be able to get supplies into Gaza that have been stuck outside for months," said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Palestine Country Director.

Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. In a post on social media platforms, Erdogan expressed his sincere gratitude to his American counterpart Donald Trump, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt for demonstrating the necessary political will to encourage Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. Erdogan said that Turkiye will closely monitor strict implementation of the ceasefire deal, and continue to contribute to the process. Earlier, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of the peace plan, expressing his thanks to the mediators from the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Turkiye.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that negotiations to stop the war in Gaza had made "a lot of headway" and that a ceasefire would be declared if they reached a positive outcome.Fidan said the talks in Egypt, in which Ankara is taking part, are focused on securing a ceasefire, exchanging hostages and prisoners, allowing more aid and coordinating a timetable for a withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Israeli forces on Wednesday intercepted a new Gaza-bound aid flotilla, days after thwarting another maritime convoy that had tried to break an Israeli blockade on the war-battered Palestinian territory.The Global Sumud Flotilla first reported that three of its vessels had been "attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military" in the early morning, 220 kilometres off the coast of Gaza.It later said all nine of the flotilla's vessels had been intercepted, including the Conscience, adding it was carrying more than 90 journalists, doctors and activists.Israel has blocked several international aid flotillas in recent months from reaching Gaza, where the UN says famine has set in after two years of devastating conflict.As the war drags on, solidarity with the Palestinians has grown globally, with activists, protesters across the world and increasingly governments condemning Israel for its conduct.Israel confirmed on Wednesday it had intercepted boats entering waters it says fall under its blockade of Gaza.The pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the boats were carrying "vital aid worth over $110,000... in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza's starving hospitals".Turkey's foreign ministry accused Israel of carrying out an "act of piracy", describing the intervention against the flotilla as "an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament".Israeli authorities detained Belgian rapper Youssef Swatt's aboard one of the boats, his lawyers said.Last week Israeli naval forces stopped another flotilla of 45 vessels from the Global Sumud campaign that was carrying politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.The move drew mass protests across Europe.Israel expelled Thunberg and scores of fellow campaigners on Monday, many of whom complained of mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities.

Trump: may travel to Middle East this weekend if deal reachedTurkish foreign minister sees 'a lot of headway' at talksMechanism of Israeli withdrawal is sticking point, sources sayUS President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a deal to end the war in Gaza was "very close" and that he might travel to Egypt this weekend, as his envoys joined talks in Egypt to try to seal a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.With Trump's 20-point plan appearing closer than any previous bid to halt the two-year-old conflict, delegations upgraded their presence at the indirect talks, launched on Monday in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh.Trump offered an upbeat assessment, saying a deal was almost done and that he may travel to the Middle East this weekend, possibly leaving as soon as Saturday, if an agreement is reached. He later clarified that he likely would go to Egypt and the trip would probably be before or just after hostages are released."I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly," Trump said during an unrelated White House event.The hand-scrawled note on White House stationery read, "You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first," the Associated Press later reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.It marked the most promising effort yet to end the war in Gaza, which had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon, and reshaping the Middle East.Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel that triggered Israel's devastating assault on Gaza, the group's negotiators handed over its lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be freed in a swap with Israel.Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived and began participation in the negotiations, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.Also joining the discussions was the prime minister of longstanding mediator Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, according to Egyptian sources.Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.In parallel with the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, Arab and other states will meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss Gaza's post-war transition, with Washington likely to be represented, diplomatic sources said.Hamas said on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of the hostages it held and the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that it wanted to be exchanged, and was optimistic about the talks so far.The list of Palestinians Hamas wants freed is expected to include some of the most prominent prisoners ever jailed by Israel, whose release had been off limits in previous ceasefires.According to a Palestinian source close to the talks, the list includes Marwan al-Barghouti, a leader of the Fatah movement, and Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Both are serving multiple life sentences for involvement in attacks that killed Israelis.Hamas says the indirect negotiations were focused so far on three issues: halting the conflict, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and the swap deal.The group has so far refused to discuss Israel's demand that Hamas give up its arms, which the Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.Two sources familiar with the talks confirmed that sticking points included the mechanism for the Israeli withdrawal, with Hamas seeking a clear timeline linked to the release of hostages and guarantees of a complete withdrawal by Israeli forces.Within Gaza, Israel has dialled down its military campaign at Trump's behest, but it has not halted strikes altogether.Gaza medical authorities reported eight people killed in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, the lowest toll for weeks. Daily death tolls had been around 10 times as high over the past month as Israeli forces advance on Gaza City."We hope from God that a ceasefire would take place as soon as possible, because people can't bear the suffering anymore," said Jehad al-Shagnobi, whose house was destroyed in the Sabra district of Gaza City.Another participant in the talks was Turkish spymaster Ibrahim Kalin, Egyptian sources said. This pointed to a growing role for Turkey, a NATO member with close contacts with Hamas. President Tayyip Erdogan said Trump had asked Turkey to help persuade Hamas to accept the deal.Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday that the negotiations had made "a lot of headway."Trump's plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza's post-war administration. Arab countries which back the plan say it must lead to eventual independence for a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu says will never happen.There is no clear indication who will rule Gaza when the war ends. Netanyahu, Trump, Western and Arab states have ruled out a role for Hamas, which has run Gaza since driving out Palestinian rivals in 2007.Hamas has said it would relinquish Gaza governance only to a Palestinian technocrat government supervised by the Palestinian Authority and backed by Arab and Muslim countries. It rejects any role for Blair or foreign rule of Gaza.Global outrage has mounted against Israel's assault. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a UN inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.

HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will join the Gaza negotiations on President Trump’s proposal in Egypt on Wednesday.HE Sheikh Mohammed is traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh to meet with other mediators – including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – “with the aim of pushing forward the Gaza ceasefire plan and hostage release agreement”, said Dr Majid Mohamed al-Ansari, Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Official Spokesperson.HE Sheikh Mohammed’s “participation confirms the mediators’ determination to reach an agreement that ends the war,” Dr. al-Ansari told Al Jazeera.A Turkish delegation led by intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will participate in negotiations in Egypt Wednesday aimed at ending the two-year Gaza war, AFP quoted the state-run Anadolu news agency reporting from Istanbul.

Qatar is committed to achieve peace and end the war in Gaza, especially with no let-up in the daily Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people, HE Dr Majid Mohamed al-Ansari, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said.The ongoing indirect negotiations between the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel in Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt went on for four hours on Monday and continued Tuesday, he said.Highlighting the complexity of the talks, he said US President Donald Trump's peace plan has 20 points, each of which requires detailed consideration.During his weekly briefing, Dr al-Ansari said Qatar is committed to implementing the plan, and deliver the necessary aid immediately to the people in Gaza."But, we want a clear cut plan to guarantee the effective implementation of Trump's peace plan to avoid giving Israel any excuse to renew their attacks. Negotiations are currently focused on identifying the key obstacles hindering the implementation of President Trump's plan."Dr al-Ansari said Qatar, US and Egypt have been leading the mediation for two years now.He noted that all delegations are presently in Sharm El Sheikh, including the Qatari negotiating team.He also pointed out that Egypt is set to organise an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza after the end of war, and Qatar strongly supports this.Regarding the future of Hamas in Gaza, he said it is still too early to talk about this. "Qatar believes that the future of the Palestinian people have to be in the hands of Palestinian people themselves. It is a Palestinian issue and it concerns them above all. Since day one of the negotiations, we have said that there is a need to unite the Palestinian people."He said the Hamas political office in Doha is needed for the negotiations.Regarding the handover of the Israeli hostages, he reiterated: "I stress that the US has been clear in linking the end of war with the handover of the hostages to Israel."Reuters adds: On the second day of talks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, top Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya told Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV the group had come "to engage in serious and responsible negotiations."He said Hamas was ready to reach a deal, yet it needed a "guarantee" to end the war and ensure "it is not repeated".Senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said a deal must ensure an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.Dr. Al Ansari said Qatar is currently engaged in more than 10 mediation efforts.Regarding the first Russia-Arab summit on October 15 in Moscow, he noted that the relations between the Arab world, Qatar and Russia are very important.He added that "there is an ongoing war in Ukraine and we are committed to achieve peace and help children in both countries to reunite with their families".