French President Emmanuel Macron has told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas that a return to Palestinian governance was needed in Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Sunday. Displaced Palestinians have started returning to the Gaza Strip and three Israeli hostages released.
An initial 42-day truce – brokered by Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators – came into effect on Sunday ending more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Under the plan, a total of 33 Israeli hostages are to be released in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians in Israeli custody.
The first three Israeli hostages – Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher – were released on Sunday as planned. They were handed over by Hamas militants to the Red Cross.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the hostages, all women, were "in our hands and on their way home".
Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are due to be released by Israel in exchange later on Sunday.
European Council Chief Antonio Costa said the truce brought a "much needed glimmer of hope to the region".
Joy in Israel at hostage release but fears for those still held
Displaced Palestinians head home
As the ceasefire took effect mid-morning, thousands of displaced Palestinians set off across the devastated Gaza Strip to return home.
In the northern area of Jabalia, hundreds streamed down a sandy path, heading back to an apocalyptic landscape piled with rubble and destroyed buildings.
In a phone conversation with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Macron said the governance of Gaza should "fully incorporate the Palestinian Authority (PA)".
Gaza's future should be aimed at the creation of a Palestinian state, while ensuring that "no massacre, like the one perpetrated on 7 October (2023), can ever be committed against the Israeli people again", the Elysée palace said.
It is "now essential to immediately work to respond to the Gazans' vital urgent needs, to ensure the delivery of massive humanitarian aid, at the level of the residents' needs".
Israel-Hamas ceasefire must lead to 'political resolution' in Gaza, Macron says
Minutes after the truce began, the United Nations said the first trucks carrying humanitarian aid had entered the Palestinian territory.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the truce, saying on X "it is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid".
The truce is intended to pave the way for a permanent end to the war, but a second phase has yet to be finalised.
The next group of Gaza hostages to be released under a ceasefire agreement will be freed on Saturday, a senior Hamas official told France's AFP news agency.
(with newswires)
