November 9, 2025
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in a deal that raised hopes for ending the Israel-Hamas war. All the remaining hostages were set to be released within days.
Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether the Hamas terror group will disarm, as called for in U.S. President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.
The latest truce marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by Hamas' 2023 terror attack on Israel. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90% of the Gaza population of some 2 million, often multiple times.
The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday. Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military's announcement.
Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.
“If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said. He added that Hamas agreed to the deal “only when it felt that the sword was on its neck — and it is still on its neck.”
The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to the agreed-upon lines.
Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a U.N. official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet made public.
The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been positioned in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt, as humanitarian officials await permission from Israeli forces to restart their work.
A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might remain of their homes. Others headed to other parts of the Palestinian territory in the south.
Palestinians have expressed relief that the war may end, tempered with concern about the future and lingering pain from the staggering death and destruction.
The war began when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to claims by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the remaining hostages. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official and lead negotiator, said Thursday evening that all women and children held in Israeli jails will be freed.
The hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin Monday, two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said, though another official said they could occur as early as Sunday night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named speaking about the negotiations.
A relative of one of the Israeli hostages believed to have died in captivity says the family is hoping that his body will be returned for burial.
“It’s a measured sense of hope in all hostage families,’’ said Stephen Brisley, whose sister, Lianne Sharabi, and her two teenage daughters were killed in the Oct. 7 attack.
Lianne’s husband, Eli Sharabi, was eventually released, but his brother, Yossi, is believed to have died in an airstrike in January 2024. The family hopes to give him a dignified burial.
"We hold our hope lightly because we’ve had our hopes dashed before," Brisley told The Associated Press from his home in South Wales. "It still feels like a long way between the announcement of the deal and actually getting Yossi’s body back to bury him.’’
As part of the deal, five border crossings are expected to reopen, including the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Egyptian and Hamas officials said. That will allow aid to flow into the territory, parts of which are experiencing famine.
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.
To help support and monitor the ceasefire deal, U.S. officials said they would send about 200 troops to Israel as part of a broader, international team. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details not authorized for release.
The U.S. would also lead a massive internationally funded reconstruction effort.
The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority — something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority, which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping reform program that could take years.
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