January 27, 2025 9:37 PM.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza began returning to the heavily destroyed region after Israel lifted its closure under a fragile truce brokered by international mediators.
The area, devastated by weeks of relentless bombardment, bears the scars of widespread destruction. Humanitarian aid groups have urged immediate support as water, food, and medical supplies remain critically low.
The European Union said that it is ready to redeploy its border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. Israel, meanwhile, announced that a Hamas list showed that eight of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the truce are dead. The U.N. said over 200,000 people were observed moving north in Gaza on Monday morning alone, in accordance with a fragile ceasefire.
The ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of dozens of hostages captured in the militants’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which triggered the fighting. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are also set to be freed in the exchange.
Israel said Monday that a Hamas list shows eight of the 33 hostages to be released in the ceasefire’s first phase are dead. Israel has said the next release of hostages will take place on Thursday, followed by another on Saturday.