The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement entered into force at 12 a.m. on the following day, with more than half a million people returning to Gaza City, while Palestinians have serious differences over future governance of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and Israel ready to release each other’s officials
On the first day of the ceasefire, the Israeli Defence Forces said they had withdrawn to the agreed "retreat line" as agreed, and with the ceasefire entering the following day, another important element of the ceasefire phase - the release of detainees - was steadily advancing.
Under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, which was previously disclosed, Hamas will release all 20 Israeli detainees and return the remains of 28 Israeli detainees, while Israel will simultaneously release more than 1,900 detained Palestinians.
Hamdan, a senior Hamas member, said in an interview with AFP that Hamas would begin releasing Israeli detainees on the morning of the 13th.
At the same time, the Times of Israel also reported on the 11th that the Israeli Prison Administration issued a statement saying that Israel has begun transferring Palestinian detainees to two prisons pending their release.
More than half a million people return to Gaza
After the ceasefire agreement came into effect, a large number of people in Gaza also began to leave from temporary shelters to return home. On the 11th, the Gaza Strip Civil Defense Agency stated that more than 500,000 people have returned to Gaza City since the first phase of the ceasefire came into effect.
However, the number of casualties in the Gaza Strip continues to increase. According to statistics from the Gaza Strip Health Department on the 11th, since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7, 2023, Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip 67,682 people have been killed and 170,033 injured。The total number of deaths from famine and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has risen to 463. In the past 24 hours, the Gaza Strip health department found 116 bodies in the area, and medical institutions in the Gaza Strip received a total of 35 bodies and 72 injured people.
The Gaza Civil Defence Department also said that about 9,500 people are still missing in the Gaza Strip.Many Gazans are still looking for missing relatives, some of whose children have died in Israeli attacks, are buried under the rubble; some have disappeared to date and have no messages.
At present, several UN agencies have called on Israel to immediately open all transit points in the Gaza Strip and lift restrictions on the UN Relief and Engineering Office for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East in order to deliver unhindered humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip.
Future Governance Differences in Gaza
Although the first phase of the ceasefire agreement has come into effect, there is still no unanimous conclusion on important issues such as the future governance of the Gaza Strip.
The previously announced "20-point plan" for the ceasefire in Gaza includes the future deployment of a temporary "international stabilization force" in the Gaza Strip and the supervision of post-war transitional governance in the Gaza Strip by an international transitional body. However, Hamas is resistant to international supervision and deployment of peacekeeping forces.
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jihad) and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued a joint statement on the evening of 10th, saying that they resolutely rejected any "foreign regulatory agency" to take over the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu continued to pressure Hamas.He posted a video statement on the 10th that the Israeli army “still resides in the Gaza Strip and controls all critical areas” in order to put pressure on Hamas to prepare for the follow-up phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu said Hamas will disarm and Gaza will be de-militarized in the coming days.
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, later stressed again that Hamas was prepared to give up its governance rights in the Gaza Strip, but Hamas members not only exist in the Gaza Strip, but also in the West Bank, Jordan and overseas. At present, Hamas will not hand over weapons to any party "unless they are handed over to the State of Palestine." At that time, Hamas armed members can join the future local army.
The outcome of the ceasefire agreement
The Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit will be held on the 13th
At present, both the United States and Turkey have expressed their intention to make military deployments to the Palestinian-Israeli region to safeguard the results of the ceasefire.
Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey will join the special working group to monitor the actual implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza to ensure that the terms of the agreement are fully implemented. Turkish ruling Justice and Development Party Parliamentary Party leader Abdullah Gulir said on 11th that the Turkish Foreign Ministry and other departments are discussing sending Turkish troops to the Palestinian Gaza Strip, the relevant proposals will be submitted to parliament for consideration after improvement.
Brad Cooper, commander of the US Central Command, said on social media on the 11th that the United States will not send ground troops to the Palestinian Gaza Strip. However, the U.S. plans to set up a "coordination center" led by the U.S. Central Command to provide support for "stability maintenance operations after the conflict."
Egypt’s Presidential Office announced on October 11 that an international conference on the theme of the “Sham Sheikh Peace Summit” will be held in Sham Sheikh, Egypt’s Red Sea coastal city on October 13, with the aim of ending the conflict in Gaza, strengthening efforts to peace and stability in the Middle East and opening a new chapter in regional security and stability.
The summit will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Seyce and US President Trump, and leaders of more than 20 countries and UN Secretary-General Guterres will attend.
Earlier, media that the signing ceremony of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will be held in Egypt next week. The public opinion believes that the situation is still very fragile, although the ceasefire is currently achieved, and Egypt intends to make the concept of "the war in Gaza has ended" an externally recognized established fact through high-profile celebrations, pressure on both Israel and Hamas to facilitate the smooth implementation of the agreement.