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Gaza ceasefire: Historic return of thousands of Palestinians as IDF withdraws – Where the Israel-Hamas deal could stumble

Historic Gaza ceasefire brings hope as thousands of Palestinians return home while Israel withdraws troops, but second phase challenges remain ahead.

Gaza ceasefire: Historic return of thousands of Palestinians as IDF withdraws – Where the Israel-Hamas deal could stumble
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An unexpected unanimity, by Middle Eastern standards, for launching the peace implementation plan has led to a halt in the deafening noise of bombardments in recent hours. The first phase of implementing Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas to stop the bloodshed in Gaza is underway, with Washington calling it historic developments while the European community expresses satisfaction but maintains reservations. There’s anxiety about transitioning to the second phase of the plan, which requires even more concessions from Hamas. What’s significant at this moment is that both Israelis and Palestinians have found hidden smiles in recent hours, pulled hope from the war’s rubble that they had been searching for so desperately, and seen rays of optimism illuminate sides that were previously obscured by smoke from relentless strikes.

Read: Gaza: Thousands of Palestinians return home after ceasefire begins – Shocking images (Live)

Israel-Hamas agreement: Celebrations and tens of thousands returning to Gaza

The civilian population that experienced daily suffering seems to find, after a long time, a reason to stand with determination against future developments. Israelis, specifically relatives of hostages, await the release of their loved ones by Hamas within the coming hours, as provided for in the agreement and Trump’s 20-point plan. Where anxiety about their people dominated the square in Tel Aviv, now celebrations of enthusiasm and joy break out, knowing it’s just a matter of time before they embrace their beloved faces again.

On the other side, relief prevails among Palestinians with tens of thousands, specifically around 200,000 civilians, returning to areas of northern Gaza as Israel withdraws its troops and has frozen its ground military operation. People seem to gradually reclaim their lives, with hope for a healthier future under a technocratic arrangement, away from conditions of terrorism and bombardments, expected to bring the long-sought normalcy they have been deprived of for so long.

Trump’s trip to Israel

It’s worth noting that details of Donald Trump’s trip to Israel have been finalized in recent hours, with the American president expected to make a historically significant visit to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Monday, where he will also address the Knesset. He will meet with freed hostages and speak with them, but will avoid sitting in the hostages’ square in Tel Aviv for security reasons. Security measures for the American president’s visit to Israel will be draconian, while his next stop for final signatures of the ceasefire agreement will be Egypt.

While the first stage of the agreement is considered somewhat easy since Israel and Hamas have agreed to exchange prisoners and hostages, the second stage remains a puzzle. This is because it includes Hamas’s disarmament and complete removal from Gaza. If Hamas doesn’t comply, Netanyahu has warned that a new round of strikes may begin.

Hamas thanked Trump for the agreement but has not accepted the disarmament condition or complete removal from Gaza, while insisting on significant Palestinian Authority participation in the new governance arrangement. For the next five days, the ceasefire agreement is not expected to collapse, but it could prove fragile and the peace document could “crumble” once the second phase begins.

Until then, processes will be feverish in many corners of the planet, from the Knesset and White House to Brussels and Arab states. The major challenge is Hamas’s removal and ensuring it hasn’t already developed a plan B by forming a new group with terrorist elements to release toxic control impulses in Gaza.




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