Palestinians Return as Israelis Cheer Hostage Deal

The Gaza ceasefire held in its second day as tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their neighborhoods Saturday and Israelis cheered the pending release of remaining hostages. "Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go," said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli in Gaza City as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war. A boy climbed a shattered building to raise the Palestinian flag. Israelis applauded President Trump, and some booed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the AP reports, as US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner addressed a weekly rally in Tel Aviv that many hoped would be the last.

• The celebration: "To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home," Witkoff told the crowd estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Kushner said they would celebrate on Monday, when Israel's military has said the 48 hostages still in Gaza would be freed. The government believes around 20 remain alive. People in the crowd hugged and took selfies. "It's a really happy time, but we know that there are going to be some incredibly difficult moments coming," said one person. The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly half of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

• American presence: About 200 US troops arrived in Israel to monitor the ceasefire with Hamas. They will set up a center to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid as well as logistical and security assistance. "This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza," said Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the US military's Central Command.
• Relief efforts: Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow aid into famine-stricken Gaza. A UN official said Israel has approved expanded aid deliveries, starting Sunday. The World Food Program said it was ready to restore 145 food distribution points across the territory, once Israel allows for expanded deliveries. Before Israel sealed off Gaza in March, UN agencies provided food at 400 distribution points.