Palestinians have begun returning to the ruins of their homes in northern Gaza, in the second day of a fragile ceasefire which will see 20 living Israeli hostages released.
Thousands snaked along the coastal road north to Gaza City, hoping to return home for a final time after repeated displacements during nearly two years of Israeli war on the territory.
Images from the ground show long columns of people walking north towards Gaza City, carrying bundles, blankets and children – the few belongings they managed to salvage.
‘Phase one’ of the ceasefire, which came into effect on Friday morning , has brought a fragile calm to the war-ravaged strip,
Hamas has until 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) Monday to release all remaining Israeli hostages, while Israel is set to free hundreds of Palestinian detainees.
An Israeli official told The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew that the handover could begin as early as Sunday, with hostages being brought into Israel via multiple crossings.
A Hamas official also expressed gratitude to Trump but warned that Tony Blair would not be welcome in a post-war Gaza.
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Key Points
- Palestinians return to Gaza as the ceasefire takes hold
- Many unresolved questions remain as a ceasefire begins in Gaza
- US to send troops to Israel to monitor Gaza ceasefire deal
- Recap: What happened this week - and what's next?
- Air strikes continue over Gaza, residents say
- Ceasefire now in effect: IDF
Recap: What happened this week - and what is next?
07:47
,
Alex Croft
A long-awaited ceasefire is now in place, after Donald Trump pushed Israel and Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The truce came into place on Friday morning, and will see thousands of Palestinians return home to their homes, which have been left largely in rubble following two years of bombardment.
The Israeli military said it has “begun positioning” its troops along the lines detailed in the ceasefire agreement.
On Friday morning, a 72-hour countdown began in which Hamas must release all 20 hostages who are believed to still be alive. They must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.
The exact details of their release remains unclear, but in previous hostage handovers they've been collected by the Red Cross which has transferred them to Israel. From there, they have been airlifted to Israeli hospitals for check-ups and to be reunited with their families.
During this process, we expect to see the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
We also expect to see about 600 humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza daily from now on.
After this process has been completed, negotiations are expected to begin over the latter phases of Donald Trump's 20-point plan.
Israel to deploy troops for Trump's visit
07:30
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel Police said Operation “Blue Shield 6" will be enacted and is being finalised ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to the country on Monday.
The country will mobilise "thousands of police and Border Police officers". police said.
In an update on X, the police force said officers will be deployed "along key routes to ensure public safety, order, and smooth traffic flow during the state visit".
Mapped: Where will troops withdraw to as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire?
07:18
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel and Hamas have tentatively agreed to the first phase of a 20-point peace plan, which means a temporary ceasefire and the release of all remaining living hostages.
It also means the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops to lines agreed upon during discussions, a key sticking point for both sides.
Israel’s critics have alleged that its military campaign has been part of an expansionist agenda, while Israel maintains it does not want to expel Palestinians from the Strip and is only seeking to destroy Hamas.
ICYMI: London police brace for clashes as protests planned
07:01
,
Shweta Sharma
Police have put measures in place to try to prevent a clash between pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters in London, a day after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to gather for a march and speeches in central London on Saturday, as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, Stop The Hate has organised a counter-protest, at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand, police said.
Scotland Yard has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to "prevent serious disruption" during the demonstrations, it said.
Conditions have been imposed on both demonstrations by the force, which set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.
The pro-Palestinian protest will be the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters march along Embankment ending with in a rally in Whitehall.
The Metropolitan Police made reference to recent Government proposals to give police greater powers to restrict repeat protests but said that "at this time, the law remains unchanged".
The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London last Saturday.
Almost 500 people were arrested at last week's protest, with the majority on suspicion of supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.
Calls for restraint had been made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2 in which two people were killed, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to "respect the grief of British Jews".
Voices from Gaza as the ceasefire takes hold
06:37
,
Shweta Sharma
“We are happy just to return – even over the rubble,” these are the words some Gazans have collectively spoken after a ceasefire took effect and Israeli troops began pulling back.
Along the coastal road overlooking the Mediterranean, a huge column of people moved north on foot towards Gaza City. Many carried what little they had salvaged from the ruins – bundles, blankets, children – as they returned to homes that may no longer exist.
"Thank God my house is still standing," said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City. "But the place is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone."
In the south, the devastation was even worse. The city of Khan Younis, once bustling with life, had been reduced to a dusty moonscape. Picking his way through the wreckage, Ahmed al-Brim, a middle-aged man, pushed a bicycle stacked with scrap timber – all that remained of his home.
"We went to our area. It was exterminated," he said quietly. "We don't know where we will go after that. We couldn't get the furniture, or clothes, or anything, not even winter clothes. Nothing is left."
Palestinian health workers said more than a hundred bodies were recovered from across Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew. But for many returning families, there was little time to mourn – only the urgent need to find shelter, water and food.
"Of course there are no homes – they've been destroyed," said Mahdi Saqla, 40, as he and his family joined the steady stream heading north.
"But we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble. That too is a great joy. For two years, we've been suffering, displaced from place to place."
Six more flotilla participants freed from Israeli detention
06:00
,
Shweta Sharma
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) says six participants detained by Israel have been released, nearly 10 days after their ships were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
Five of those released were part of the GSF’s mission to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, while another participant – Okey Michael Vitalis from Nigeria – who was sailing with the Omar Al Mukhtar Flotilla intercepted earlier this week, was also freed on Friday, the group said.
Many unresolved questions remain as a ceasefire begins in Gaza
05:30
,
Shweta Sharma
Bombardment stopped and Israeli troops pulled back in Gaza on Friday under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The truce, brokered after intense pressure from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, has brought the first quiet in Gaza in nearly two years of war.
Under the deal, Hamas is to release the remaining Israeli hostages within days in exchange for the release of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Aid trucks are also expected to begin entering Gaza as displaced families start heading north to their homes.
But the ceasefire – which US president Donald Trump hailed as “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace” – leaves many questions unresolved.
Israel wants Hamas disarmed, while Hamas is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The shape of a postwar administration for Gaza also remains uncertain, with Trump’s plan proposing an Arab-led international security force and a governing council led by Palestinian technocrats.
Israelis have welcomed the release deal as a long-awaited breakthrough, while Palestinians in Gaza have greeted the pause with relief and scepticism – unsure how long it will last, and whether their shattered territory will ever be rebuilt.
Much now depends on continued diplomatic pressure. Without it, analysts warn, any misstep could see Israel resume its campaign to destroy Hamas, plunging Gaza back into war.
UN says some supplied begin to flow into Gaza
05:01
,
Shweta Sharma
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general of the United Nations, said that fuel, medical supplies and other critical materials have started flowing in to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
UN officials are urging Israel to open additional border crossings and ensure safe passage for aid workers and civilians returning to areas of Gaza that were under heavy bombardment until recently.
Over the past several months, the UN and its partner agencies have managed to deliver only around 20 per cent of the aid required in the Gaza Strip, according to UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
In pictures: Displaced Palestinians trek over wastelands of Gaza with their belongings
05:00
,
Shweta Sharma
Thousands of displaced Palestinians trekked over the wastelands of Gaza to return to the ruins of their abandoned homes on Friday, after a ceasefire took effect and Israeli troops began pulling back under the first phase of an agreement to end the war.
A huge column of people filed on foot north along the coastal road overlooking sandy beaches towards Gaza City, the enclave's biggest urban area, which had been under attack just days ago in one of Israel's biggest offensives of the war.
In the south, people picked their way through the dusty moonscape that was once Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, which Israeli forces razed this year. Most walked in silence.
Trump eyes Monday for Hamas hostage release
04:36
,
Shweta Sharma
US president Donald Trump said on Friday the hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza are due to "come back" on Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said there were approximately 28 bodies to be recovered. He said he thought he would be traveling to Cairo and he would later speak to the Israeli Knesset, before returning to the US on Tuesday.
Unicef urges full flow of aid into Gaza
04:21
,
Shweta Sharma
The UN children’s charity Unicef has called for all crossings for food aid into war-shattered Gaza to be opened amid widespread hunger in the enclave.
In a statement, Unicef spokesperson Ricardo Pires said 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," he said.
Police on alert as London braces for mass pro-Palestine march and counter-protest
03:56
,
Shweta Sharma
Police in London have put measures in place to try to prevent a clash between pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters, a day after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.
Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to gather for a march and speeches in central London on Saturday, as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, Stop The Hate has organised a counter-protest, at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand, police said.
Scotland Yard has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to "prevent serious disruption" during the demonstrations, it said.
Conditions have been imposed on both demonstrations by the force, which set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.
The pro-Palestinian protest will be the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters march along Embankment ending with in a rally in Whitehall.
The Metropolitan Police made reference to recent government proposals to give police greater powers to restrict repeat protests but said that "at this time, the law remains unchanged".
The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London last Saturday.
Almost 500 people were arrested at last week's protest, with the majority on suspicion of supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.
Calls for restraint had been made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on 2 October in which two people were killed, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to "respect the grief of British Jews".
Recap watch: Explosions on Gaza skyline overnight as Israel's cabinet approves 'outline' of peace deal
03:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Why one country believes Tony Blair can bring peace to Gaza
02:00
,
Bryony Gooch
In pictures: A view of the destruction in Gaza City
01:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Independent View: Peace in the Middle East is the biggest prize of all
Saturday 11 October 2025 00:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Trump says approximately 28 bodies to be recovered on Monday
Friday 10 October 2025 23:21
,
Bryony Gooch
US President Donald Trump said on Friday the hostages held by Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza are due to "come back" on Monday.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said there were approximately 28 bodies to be recovered. He said he thought he would be traveling to Cairo and he would later speak to the Israeli Knesset, before returning to the US on Tuesday.
Watch: Ceasefire prompts mass departure from Gaza camps as families load vehicles
Friday 10 October 2025 23:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Special Report: ‘Your body shivers from the scale of the destruction’: Thousands of Palestinians head back to their shattered lives after ceasefire
Friday 10 October 2025 22:30
,
Bryony Gooch
Humanitarian aid must flow into Gaza immediately, warns Medecins Sans Frontieres
Friday 10 October 2025 22:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) have warned that Gaza needs humanitarian aid immediately if it is to recover amid the ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas.
While MSF welcome the ceasefire, they said it does not mark the end of the “horrendous suffering” as people of Gaza return from displacement.
“The feeling of our colleagues and the people around us is one of hope, a lot of hope, wishing that this nightmare will finally stop and they will be able to be at peace, be able to recover from their trauma, both physical and mental. But there's also a lot of uncertainty of what is going to happen, what are the next steps,” says Jacob Granger, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza.
Analysis: Netanyahu has clung on through Israel’s war, but will he survive peace? Experts weigh in on what happens next
Friday 10 October 2025 21:30
,
Bryony Gooch
With a ceasefire set to take effect, questions loom over whether the Israeli PM can hold together his far-right coalition. But analysts tell Taz Ali that the great survivor of Israeli politics may find a way to carry on.
Read more here:
In pictures: Houthi supporters gather to celebrate Gaza ceasefire
Friday 10 October 2025 21:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Hamas, Palestinian factions reject any foreign guardianship' over Gaza
Friday 10 October 2025 20:47
,
Bryony Gooch
Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine rejected in a joint statement on Friday any "foreign guardianship" over Gaza, stressing that its governance is a purely internal Palestinian matter.
They also expressed their readiness to benefit from Arab and international participation in the reconstruction of the enclave.
Analysis: What comes after Hamas?
Friday 10 October 2025 20:30
,
Bryony Gooch
Reporting by James C. Reynolds:
The original plan describes a transitional government – “technocratic and apolitical” – managing the overall running of Gaza, overseen by an international body called the “Board of Peace”.
Ultimately, the interim government could be replaced by the Palestinian Authority, subject to certain “reforms”. Questions remain around the future of a Palestinian state. More enduring questions around Palestinian sovereignty are also not spelled out.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, said that he hoped the ceasefire would be “a prelude to reaching a permanent political solution”, leading to the establishment of an independent state.
The form this takes will matter across the border. In 2012, 61 per cent of Israelis supported two states. Now, around one in five do.
Hamas has also suggested it would retain a role in negotiations over the long-term future of Gaza. This leaves space for future disagreement – though, again, Hamas will have little leverage after releasing the remaining hostages.
Details on the group’s disarmament are still lacking. In the past, Hamas has said it would only disarm once a Palestinian state had been secured. Over the weekend, Netanyahu said Hamas would be disarmed and Gaza demilitarised “either the easy way or the hard way”.
Netanyahu said on Friday that Israeli forces would remain in Gaza to pressure Hamas until the Palestinian militant group disarms.
“The deal marks a significant milestone, yet it falls short of ending the conflict,” Dr Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said. “Sustaining a ceasefire will demand constant vigilance, confidence-building and the continued engagement of the US, UK and their allies. The ceasefire may have been won, but the hard work of building the peace is far from done.
“This will require both sides to make difficult – and in Hamas’s case, existential – compromises.”
Foreign Press Association reiterates call for access to Gaza
Friday 10 October 2025 20:00
,
Bryony Gooch
The Foreign Press Association has said that it continues to call for access to the Gaza Strip amid the ceasefire.
“The FPA welcomes the agreement between the warring parties on a ceasefire in Gaza. With the halt in fighting we renew our urgent call for Israel to open the borders immediately and allow international media free and independent access to the Gaza Strip.
‘For the last two years, the FPA and its members have asked, through all channels, to be let into Gaza to report on the reality of the war. These demands have been repeatedly ignored, while our Palestinian colleagues have risked their lives to provide tireless and brave reporting from Gaza. On October 23rd, the Supreme Court is set finally to hear our arguments after more than a year of allowing the State to delay its response.
“But there is no reason to wait that long. Enough with the excuses and delay tactics.
“The restrictions on press freedom must come to an end.”
Role of UN remains unclear in post-war Gaza
Friday 10 October 2025 19:30
,
Bryony Gooch
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.
Trump plans summit on Gaza during Egypt visit next week, Axios reports
Friday 10 October 2025 19:15
,
Bryony Gooch
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 Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia, Axios said, citing the sources.
‘Silence never truly arrives’: in Gaza, the night before the ceasefire
Friday 10 October 2025 19:00
,
Bryony Gooch
Sir John Jenkins: Peace may prove trickier than war for a fractured Middle East
Friday 10 October 2025 18:40
,
Bryony Gooch
Two babies evacuated from North Gaza, UNICEF says
Friday 10 October 2025 18:20
,
Bryony Gooch
The UN children's agency has evacuated two of 18 newborns from a North Gaza hospital to be reunited with their parents further south, it said on Friday.
Its attempt to move two of the babies was suspended on Thursday amid an ongoing Israeli military assault on the city, UNICEF said, but the children have since been reunited with their parents.
Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of Gaza on Friday as a ceasefire took effect.
"We had 18 babies in incubators at the beginning of week. Two got moved yesterday," UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires told a Geneva press briefing, saying the others are waiting in incubators for transfer.
"I hope this is just an example of what will come after the ceasefire is fully implemented," he said.
Israel's COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees Gaza aid flows, confirmed that the two babies were transferred late on Thursday in coordination with UNICEF.
It contested that its actions had suspended the initial operation on Thursday, saying that it was at UNICEF's request that the babies were briefly returned to hospital.
"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces), through COGAT, will continue to work in full cooperation with international aid organizations to allow and facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip," the COGAT spokesperson said.
Watch: Nobel committee reacts to Trump and allies’ pressure campaign for Peace Prize
Friday 10 October 2025 17:50
,
Daniel Keane
Blair not welcome in Gaza, as senior Hamas official remembers Iraq
Friday 10 October 2025 17:30
,
Bryony Gooch
A senior Hamas official has criticised discussions of Tony Blair playing a role in the future of Gaza, citing the former prime minister’s role in the Iraq war.
Dr Basem Naim told Sky News: "When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
"We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan."
Hundreds of thousands set to attend pro-Palestine protest this weekend
Friday 10 October 2025 17:20
,
Daniel Keane
Central London is preparing for a significant pro-Palestinian demonstration this Saturday, with hundreds of thousands expected to participate just a day after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into effect.
Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), this marks the 32nd national protest since October 2023.
Demonstrators will set off from Embankment at midday, marching towards a rally in Whitehall scheduled for 2.30pm.
The Metropolitan Police anticipate a counter-protest by Stop The Hate at the Aldwych and Strand junction. Officers have imposed conditions on both events, specifying gathering areas and march routes.
Read more below.
Hamas thanks Trump for role in securing peace deal
Friday 10 October 2025 17:12
,
Bryony Gooch
A senior Hamas official has thanked Donald Trump for his role in securing a peace deal with Israel.
Dr Basem Naim said a ceasefire would not have been possible without the US president
He told Sky News: "Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don't think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war.
"Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Netanyahu to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering."
He added: "We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on Netanyahu to fulfil the obligation.”
Relative of hostage believed to be dead hopes his body will be returned
Friday 10 October 2025 16:50
,
Daniel Keane
A relative of one of the Israeli hostages believed to have died in captivity says the family is hoping that his body will be returned for burial as part of the ceasefire deal.
"It's a measured sense of hope in all hostage families," said Stephen Brisley, whose sister, Lianne Sharabi, and her two teenage daughters were killed at Kibbutz Be-eri in southern Israel on October 7 2023.
Lianne's husband, Eli Sharabi, was eventually released, but his brother, Yossi, is believed to have died in an air strike in January 2024.
The family hopes to give him a dignified burial.
"It's a guarded optimism because it's the kind of optimism that's born out of heartbreaking experience. We hold our hope lightly because we've had our hopes dashed before," Brisley told AP from his home in South Wales.
"It still feels like a long way between the announcement of the deal and actually getting Yossi's body back to bury him."
Former IDF spokesperson claims Hamas' capacity is 'diminished'
Friday 10 October 2025 16:30
,
Daniel Keane
A former spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has claimed that Hamas’ capacity is “diminished” after the war in Gaza.
The disarmament of the militant group has been a key sticking point in negotiations, with Hamas adamant that they will not lay down their weapons as part of a peace deal. Israel has demanded the total demilitarisation of the Strip.
Peter Lerner, a former spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that Hamas no longer poses the same threat that it did on October 7 2023, when militants killed 1,200 people and captured 250 hostages.
Pictured: Gazans walk through the 'Netzarim Corridor' after ceasefire
Friday 10 October 2025 16:10
,
Daniel Keane
