Aid groups are preparing to scale up relief work in the Gaza Strip as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its second day.
Unicef and its partners are urging Israel to reopen more crossings and allow aid to flow into Gaza more freely.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, after a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect in a deal that raised hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war.
“When people get there, they’re going to find rubble. They’ll find that their homes and their neighbourhoods have been reduced to dust,” Unicef spokeswoman Tess Ingram told AP on Friday.
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Speaking from central Gaza, Ms Ingram said: A ceasefire alone is not enough. ... it also needs to ensure a surge of humanitarian aid that begins to address the tremendous damage that has been done over the past two years."
US president Donald Trump has said “for the most part, there is consensus” on how the next stages of the Gaza ceasefire plan will work, but admitted that “some of the details ... will be worked out”.
In comments made on Friday, Mr Trump spoke about the remaining hostages in Gaza, adding that Hamas were gathering them “now”, adding: “they’re in some pretty rough places”.
The remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday. Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in Mr Trump’s ceasefire plan.
The US president, who has been praised by Hamas and many in Israel for his role in securing a ceasefire deal, said he believes the agreement will “hold” because “they’re [Hamas and Israel] all tired of the fighting”.
US troops have started arriving in Israel to set up a co-ordination centre that will oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, it has been reported. The troops are not expected to enter the Gaza Strip, ABC News reported.
The Israeli military confirmed the start of the Gaza ceasefire on Friday, and Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier that day had mostly stopped after the military’s announcement.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said in a televised statement the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarised.
Mr Netanyahu said: If this is achieved the easy way – so be it. If not – it will be achieved the hard way. The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 per cent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.
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Israel has shared a list of the Palestinian detainees that it plans to release as part of the ceasefire agreement made with Hamas.
Of the 250 Palestinian prisoners, 15 will be released in East Jerusalem, 100 to the West Bank, and 135 will be deported.
Israel is expected to release about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining hostages in Gaza. A list Israel published on Friday did not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure, reports the Associated Press.
The United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting on Sunday, a UN official said.
The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in neighbouring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.
A UN spokesperson told reporters on Friday that fuel, medical supplies and other critical materials have started flowing through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries, would be responsible for security inside Gaza.
The US would lead a large internationally funded reconstruction effort, reports AP. The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority – something Mr Netanyahu has long opposed.
But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform programme that could take years.
According to the AP, the Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state, which Mr Netanyahu firmly rejects.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump plans to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, Axios reported. 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.
According to a US official, Mr Netanyahu will not be present.
Mr Trump confirmed that he would meet a “lot of leaders” in Cairo on Monday to discuss the future of Gaza and it has been reported that he will also travel to Israel, where he will address the Knesset.
Elsewhere, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun condemned Israel on Saturday for carrying out overnight strikes on civilian facilities that the health ministry said killed at least one person.
“Once again, southern Lebanon has been the target of a heinous Israeli aggression against civilian installations – without justification or pretext,” he said.
The Israeli army confirmed it conducted strikes in Lebanon. In a statement, it said it had “struck and dismantled Hizbullah terrorist infrastructure in the area of southern Lebanon”. – Agencies
