First phase of ceasefire begins, Palestinians march towards Gaza City
Displaced Palestinians march north toward devastated Gaza City as the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas begins.
The third day of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took place in Gaza on October 12, ahead of the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners of war and a speech to the Israeli parliament by President Donald Trump.
Thousands of Palestinians continued to move north toward Gaza City, which has been the epicenter of Israeli attacks for the past two months, hoping a ceasefire would bring an end to the war.
“There is great joy among the people,” Abd Abu Seada said, adding that the joy was dampened by fatigue from two years of war that has destroyed much of Gaza.
Government spokesman Shosh Bedrossian said Israel expects hostage release to begin early on October 13, with 20 living hostages to be released as well.
She said Israel was ready to accept the hostages if they were released early. Following their release, the bodies of the remaining 28 deceased hostages will be handed over.
Trump scheduled to address Congress
Under the cease-fire agreement, Hamas is scheduled to release by noon on October 13 the remaining hostages captured on October 7, 2023, the day Islamic extremists launched a surprise attack on Israel that sparked the war.
Israeli hostage coordinator Gal Hirsh said a special committee would be formed to help find the remains of dead hostages that Hamas was unable to locate.
President Trump will arrive in Israel on October 13, address the Knesset, and then head to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to attend the world summit on ending the war in Gaza.
President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke at a rally in Tel Aviv on October 11 that many Israelis hoped would be the last rally to call for the release of the hostages and an end to the war.
The United States, along with Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, brokered what is described as a phase one agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of Hamas hostages and Israeli prisoners of war and detainees.
“We’ve been waiting for this moment for two years…We’re all thinking about the families and the hostages, and we’re all happy to finally see them,” protester Dalia Yosef said, thanking President Trump.
Gazans returning to the north witness devastation.
The Israeli Prisons Authority announced that some Palestinian prisoners have been transferred to other facilities ahead of their scheduled release. Israel’s Ministry of Justice has released the names of 250 Palestinians convicted of murder and other felonies who will be released under the deal.
The list does not include senior Hamas commanders whose release the jihadist group sought, or prominent figures from other factions such as Marwan al-Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat.
This was not expected to derail the deal, but Hamas’s prisoner of war intelligence service said talks were continuing with Israeli mediators over the list of prisoners to be released.
Israel also plans to release the bodies of 1,700 Palestinians, 22 Palestinian minors and 360 militants held in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Israeli government spokesman Bedrossian said the prisoners would be released once a living hostage arrived on Israeli territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said the military would destroy underground tunnels in the Gaza Strip built by Hamas if the hostages were returned.
Palestinians who have returned to northern Gaza have described widespread devastation. Rescue workers warned that there may be unexploded ordnance or bombs in the area.
Amjad al-Shawa, head of a Palestinian group working with aid groups, estimates that 300,000 tents will be needed to temporarily house the 1.5 million displaced Gazans.
“I couldn’t believe the destruction we saw,” Rami Mohammad Ali, 37, said by phone after walking 15 kilometers (9.5 miles) from Deir al-Balah to Gaza City with his son.
“We are happy to be back in Gaza (city), but at the same time we feel bitter about the destruction,” he said after seeing human bones strewn along the road.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Alexander Cornwell and Stephen Shea in Jerusalem; Editing by Bernadette Bohm and Ross Russell)
