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Nasser Medical Hospital in the Gaza Strip received Friday the bodies of 30 martyrs released by Israeli occupation forces.According to local sources, cited by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), the bodies were transferred to the hospital via the International Committee of the Red Cross.This marks the fifth batch of martyrs' bodies handed over by the Israeli occupation since the ceasefire agreement in Gaza took effect.Most of the bodies bore signs of torture, burning, and execution. Many were found with bound hands and blindfolded eyes, their features severely disfigured, making identification by families nearly impossible.The handover is part of a prisoner and detainee exchange deal under the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli entity, which came into force on Oct 10.Under the truce, Israel is to return the remains of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli hostage returned by Hamas. Friday's transfer brings the number returned to Gaza to 225. Hamas has already returned 20 surviving hostages.Hamas insists it is committed to the ceasefire plan but is struggling to find the remaining dead because two years of Israeli bombardments have erased Gazan landmarks.Egyptian recovery teams equipped with earth-moving equipment have joined the effort to search for the bodies.

A number of Palestinian factions, during a meeting in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, have affirmed their support for and continued implementation of the ceasefire agreement measures in the Gaza Strip.These measures include the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Strip, the complete lifting of the blockade imposed on it, the opening of all crossings, including the Rafah crossing, the entry of all humanitarian and health supplies, and the initiation of a comprehensive reconstruction process that will restore normal life to the Strip and end the suffering of its residents.The factions explained in a statement Friday that their meeting in Cairo came at the invitation of Egypt, complementing the efforts of mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and Turkiye to stop the war on Gaza and address its repercussions.The statement noted that the meeting aimed to discuss developments in the Palestinian issue and the second phase of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war on the Gaza Strip, as part of the preparations for holding a comprehensive national dialogue to protect the Palestinian national project.According to the statement, the attendees expressed their appreciation for Arab, Islamic, and international efforts, including those of President Trump, to halt the war on Gaza.They emphasised that the current phase requires a unified national stance and a political vision based on unity of voice and destiny, and the rejection of all forms of annexation and displacement in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.They also condemned the Israeli parliament's (the Knesset) approval of the preliminary reading of the "Applying Israeli Sovereignty to the West Bank" law, considering it a dangerous aggression against Palestinian identity and existence.They also praised the US president's decision to halt this move and his promise not to repeat it. They emphasised that Palestinian national unity is the decisive response to these policies and the need to take all necessary steps to achieve this.The statement indicated that the attendees agreed to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to an interim Palestinian committee composed of independent "technocrats" from the Gaza Strip.This committee will be responsible for managing daily life and basic services in co-operation with Arab partners and international institutions, based on transparency and national accountability.They also agreed to establish an international committee to oversee the funding and implementation of the Gaza Strip's reconstruction, while emphasising the unity of the Palestinian political system and independent national decision-making.They also agreed to take all necessary measures to maintain security and stability in the Gaza Strip, stressing the importance of issuing a UN resolution regarding the interim UN force to monitor the ceasefire.They called for an end to all forms of torture and violations against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons, and stressed the need to hold the occupation to relevant international laws and conventions. They emphasised that the issue of prisoners will remain a top priority until their freedom is achieved.The Palestinian factions affirmed their continued joint efforts to unify visions and positions to confront the challenges facing the Palestinian cause, including calling for an urgent meeting of all Palestinian forces and factions to agree on a national strategy and revitalise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) to include all components of the Palestinian people and its vital forces.The participants pledged to "make this meeting a true turning point toward national unity in defense of the Palestinian people and their right to life, dignity, and freedom, and to safeguard the trust of the Palestinian cause and the rights of future generations, as well as their right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, while ensuring the right of return for Palestinian refugees."

Rafah border crossing due to openAid trucks start enteringIsrael identifying hostage remainsHamas continues crackdownAid trucks rolled into Gaza on Wednesday and Israel resumed preparations to open the main Rafah crossing after a dispute over the return of the bodies of dead hostages that had threatened to derail the fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas.Israel had threatened to keep Rafah shut and reduce aid supplies because Hamas was returning bodies too slowly, showing the risks to a truce that has stopped two years of devastating warfare in Gaza and freed all living hostages held by Hamas.However, Hamas returned more Israeli bodies overnight, and an Israeli security official said on Wednesday preparations were under way to open Rafah to Gazan citizens, while a second official said that 600 aid trucks would go in.Hamas returned four bodies confirmed as dead hostages on Monday and another four bodies late on Tuesday, though Israeli authorities said one of those bodies was not that of a hostage.The dispute over the return of bodies still has the potential to upset the ceasefire deal along with other major issues that are yet to be resolved.Later phases of the truce call for Hamas to disarm and cede power, which it has so far refused to do. It has launched a security crackdown, parading its power in Gaza through public executions and clashes with local clans.Longer-term elements of the ceasefire plan, including how Gaza will be governed, the make-up of an international force to take over there and moves towards the creation of a Palestinian state have yet to emerge.Twenty-one bodies of hostages remain in Gaza, though some may be hard to find or recover because of destruction during the conflict. An international task force is meant to find them.The deal also requires Israel to return the bodies of 360 Palestinians. The first group of 45 was handed over on Tuesday and the bodies were being identified, said Palestinian health authorities.The war has caused a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with nearly all inhabitants driven from their homes, a global hunger monitor saying famine was present in the enclave and health authorities overwhelmed."Our situation is utterly tragic. We went back to our homes in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood and found there are no homes at all. There is no shelter. Nothing," said Moemen Hassanein in Gaza City, with tents and shanties behind him.Reuters video showed a first group of trucks moving from the Egyptian side of the border into the Rafah crossing at dawn on Wednesday, some tankers carrying fuel and others loaded with pallets of aid.However, it was not clear if that convoy would complete its crossing into Gaza as part of the 600 trucks that were due to enter the enclave on Wednesday - the full daily complement required under the ceasefire plan. Aid trucks entered Gaza through other crossings."Humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing and other crossings after Israeli security inspection," the Israeli security official said.Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported that Wednesday's aid deliveries would include food, medical supplies, fuel, cooking gas and equipment to repair vital infrastructure.Rafah is due to be opened to Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza either entering or exiting the enclave. But those awaiting medical evacuation told Reuters they had not yet received notification to prepare for travel.The Palestinian Authority, which governs in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is preparing to operate the Rafah crossing into Egypt, which it previously did with EU assistance. Israel closed the crossing in 2007 after Hamas took over the enclave, but later allowed some movement through it under an agreement with Egypt.Several other Palestinian factions present in Gaza have backed the days-long Hamas security crackdown as it battles local clans that had tried to take over areas of the territory during the conflict.The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, one of the groups backing the Hamas crackdown, described the clans being targeted as "hubs of crime".The ceasefire envisaged Hamas initially restoring order in Gaza and US President Donald Trump, who brokered the deal, endorsed Hamas' crackdown on rival gangs, while warning it would face airstrikes if it did not later disarm.Israeli forces inside Gaza have pulled back to what the truce deal calls a yellow line just outside the main cities. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said it would immediately enforce any violation of the line.

The Israeli military said Tuesday that the remains of four deceased hostages returned by Hamas have been identified, including those of a Nepalese student.Separately, a Gaza hospital said it has received the bodies of 45 Palestinians that had been handed back by Israel, also as part of US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.In a statement, the Israeli military named two of the victims as Guy Iluz, an Israeli national, and Bipin Joshi, an agriculture student from Nepal.The names of the other two hostages have not yet been released at the request of their families, the statement added.Iluz, who was 26 at the time of the attack, had been attending the Nova music festival when assault happened on October 7, 2023.Joshi, who was 22 at the time of the attack, was part of a Nepalese agricultural training group that had arrived in Israel three weeks before the Hamas assault.He was abducted from Kibbutz Alumim.Hamas returned the four bodies on Monday, following the release of all 20 surviving captives as part of the ceasefire deal brokered by Trump.Meanwhile, the bodies of 45 Palestinians that had been in Israeli custody were handed over to the Nasser Medical Centre in Gaza, the hospital said.Under the Trump deal, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.Palestinian fighters are still holding the bodies of 24 hostages, which are expected to be returned under the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani expressed his hope that the positive results from the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit will meet the aspirations of the people in the Gaza Strip and contribute to a comprehensive and just solution for the Palestinian cause.In a post on his official X account, His Highness the Amir voiced happiness with the positive outcomes of the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit. He expressed hope that these results would serve as a starting point for more future agreements that fulfill the hopes of the people in Gaza and lead to a comprehensive, just, and sustainable resolution of the Palestinian cause, looking forward to all parties committing to the common understanding that has been reached, for the good of everyone.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani participated in the signing ceremony of the agreement ending the war in Gaza, alongside President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, President of the President of the United States of America Donald Trump.The ceremony took place in the presence of Their Majesties, Highnesses, and Excellencies heads of states, governments, and delegations taking part in the Sharm El Sheikh Peace Summit, held at the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Center, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani and HE Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Khulaifi attended the signing ceremony, alongside a lineup of members of the official delegation accompanying His Highness the Amir, members of the accompanying official delegations, representatives of regional and international organizations, and guests of the summit.