CAIRO (AP) – Preparations were underway Sunday to expand aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip. new ceasefire agreement Many hope it will mark the end of two years of devastating war.
COGAT, the Israeli defense agency responsible for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, said the amount of aid flowing into the Gaza Strip is expected to increase to about 600 trucks per day on Sunday, as stipulated in the agreement.
Egypt announced on Sunday that it would send 400 trucks loaded with aid to Gaza. Trucks must be inspected by the Israeli military before being allowed into the country.
Associated Press footage showed dozens of trucks crossing the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing. The Egyptian Red Crescent Society said the truck contained medical supplies, tents, blankets, food and fuel.
The truck heads to the Kerem Shalom intersection inspection site for inspection by the Israeli military. In recent months, the United Nations and its partners have been able to provide only 20% of needed aid in the Gaza Strip due to fighting, border closures and Israeli entry restrictions.
Israel’s expanding offensive and Restrictions on humanitarian aid caused a famine crisis including Famine occurs in some parts of the territory.
The United Nations has announced that it is ready to bring about 170,000 tonnes of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza as soon as Israel gives the green light.
Future of Gaza Humanitarian Fund in doubt
The fate of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli and US-backed contractor that replaced the UN aid operation in Gaza in May and became Gaza’s main food supplier, remains uncertain.
Several Palestinians announced on Sunday that food distribution centers operated by the group in the southernmost city of Rafah and central Gaza had been removed following a ceasefire agreement.
Hoda Ghoda, who was at the GHF site in Rafah earlier this year, said people had dismantled the building and removed the wooden and metal fences used by GHF workers to control the crowd.
Another Palestinian, Ehab Abu Majed, said the site east of Khan Yunis had also been demolished and there had been no food distribution for the past two days. Ahmed al-Masri, a man living in the central Nuseyrat refugee camp, said a third site in the Netzarim Corridor area had also been demolished.
The GHF was promoted by Israel and the United States as an alternative system to prevent Hamas from taking over aid. But the operation descended into chaos, with hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire en route to its four strongholds. The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots to control the crowd.
A GHF representative declined to comment Sunday.
Hostages, prisoners released, preparations for President Trump’s visit
Preparations were also made on Sunday for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
A message sent Saturday by Israeli Hostage and Missing Persons Coordinator Gal Hirsh and obtained by The Associated Press told hostage families to prepare for the release of their loved ones starting Monday morning. A member of the hostage’s family confirmed the note’s authenticity.
Hirsch said the hospital and Reim camp had been prepared to accept live hostages, and the dead would be transferred to a forensic laboratory for identification.
Hirsch said an international task force would begin work to find dead hostages who were not returned within 72 hours. Officials said the search for bodies, which may be buried under the rubble, could take time.
Israeli authorities believe that about 20 of the 48 hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip are still alive. All living hostages are expected to be released on Monday.
US President Donald Trump, who pushed for the ceasefire agreement, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday morning. He will meet with hostage families and address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.
Trump will then head to Egypt, where the office of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced that he will co-chair a “peace summit” attended by regional and international leaders on Monday.
No release date has yet been announced for the approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel who are scheduled to be released under the agreement. These include 1,700 people seized from Gaza during the war and detained without charge, as well as 250 people serving life sentences.
Gaza residents return home
Palestinians continued to return Sunday to areas vacated by Israeli forces, many returning to homes reduced to rubble.
Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press showed a line of vehicles heading north toward Gaza City. Photos taken on Saturday showed a line of vehicles on Al Rashid Street, which runs north-south along the Gaza Strip’s Mediterranean coastline.
Tents were also seen along the coast near Gaza City’s marina. Many people live along the coast to avoid being targeted by Israeli bombing of cities.
Residents said armed police were seen patrolling the streets of Gaza City and southern Gaza and securing aid trucks driving through areas where Israeli forces had withdrawn. The police are part of the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.
Two years of war brought devastation
The war started Hamas-led militants launch surprise attack on southern Israel On October 7, 2023, approximately 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage.
Subsequent Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but says about half of the dead were women and children.
The war destroyed large swathes of Gaza and displaced approximately 90% of its 2 million inhabitants. It has also sparked other conflicts in the region and sparked protests around the world. suspicion of genocide Israel denies it.
Both Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have welcomed the initial cessation of fighting and plans for the release of hostages and prisoners, but the long-term fate of the ceasefire remains uncertain. Key questions regarding the governance of Gaza and the post-war fate of Hamas remain unresolved.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post on X that he had instructed the Israeli military to prepare to begin destroying a network of tunnels built by Hamas in the Gaza Strip “through an international mechanism that will be established under the guidance and supervision of the United States” after the hostages are released.
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Mr. Lidman reported from Tel Aviv. John Gambrell and Salah El Deeb in Cairo, Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, and Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.
