The rubble of Gaza is feared to contain around 10,000 undiscovered bodies, adding to the 67,000 Palestinians killed in the two-year war sparked by Hamas’ terror attack in Israel.
This will be a moment of intense relief and joy on both sides of a bloody war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and many Israelis.
But it is steeped in lasting bitterness, nervousness and sadness for those who have lost loved ones, and the road to peace will be long and immensely difficult. Nervousness because a lot could go wrong and both Hamas and the Israeli army will have to show enormous restraint to avoid sliding back into chaos and killings.
Even if there is an occasional burst of gunfire, and that could happen, the leaders will have to order their armed men to wait and respect the agreement on their part.
The whole world is watching this.
READ MORE: Keir Starmer responds to first phase of Gaza ceasefire – ‘profound relief’READ MORE: Emotional moment Donald Trump tells families of Israeli hostages they are ‘coming home on Monday’
Will the hostages be released?
For Israel, it is hoped that 48 hostages will be released, although only 20 of them are thought to be alive and their condition is as yet unknown. It is believed that between seven and fifteen bodies were lost in the chaos of the battle, and may never have been found – a source of great sadness for their families and Israel as a whole.
This may never be forgiven.
It is feared that as many as 10,000 bodies have yet to be found under the rubble of Gaza, adding to the 67,000 Palestinians killed in the two-year war. And this too will probably never be forgiven.
But for now, there is measured cheering in Tel Aviv as Israel awaits news of the release of hostages expected this weekend, perhaps Monday.
As many as 2,000 Palestinian prisoners will be released in phases, including 250 serving life sentences in Israeli prisons. A few hundred go first, the lists and names have already been agreed.
Will Israel withdraw from Gaza?
Palestinians trying to survive a brutal war in Gaza will get some relief with a lull in the fighting, which, as we said, has continued in recent days despite peace negotiations.
Israeli forces will begin a phased withdrawal from Gaza, a tense and dangerous operation that could lead to a flare-up as a military retreat is incredibly difficult to implement without any exposure.
The key is the release of hostages and prisoners, with 20 living hostages being transferred close to the Gaza border while Israel waits to see what condition they are in.
Previously released hostages were in poor condition, suffering from malnutrition, lice, disease and excruciating psychological scars as a result of their underground confinement.
Israel can only hope for the best and trust that treatment and care will give them their lives back after so much intense trauma.
What is the timeline of the ceasefire?
But for now, citizens on both sides — and politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump — are praying it will be a success.
In the first phase, Israeli forces will leave about 70% of Gaza and after the release of the hostages, closely watched by the world, Israel will hand over the Palestinian prisoners. Palestinians in Gaza cried and hugged each other when they heard the news overnight.
Gunfire rang out in the air, possibly from fighters hoping for relief from the war, possibly hoping to agree to the condition of amnesty for their freedom to remain in the Strip.
Tension is building in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square as Israelis await a major announcement – possibly confirming the timing of the release around noon.
All this can happen over the weekend, possibly even on Monday.
What is the feeling within Israel?
Former hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin, who helped free ex-soldier Gilad Shallit, who was kidnapped and imprisoned in Gaza for five years, told the Mirror: “This is definitely a morning to celebrate. The war is coming to an end.”
“The killing and destruction will stop. The Israeli hostages will come home – the living and the dead.”
“For Palestinians, there will be celebrations at the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians will be able to breathe again.”
As one liberal Israeli told me in Tel Aviv this week, “I don’t care what reason President Trump has for pushing through this peace plan. If it works and stops the killing and misery on both sides, then I’m all for it — and so should the whole world.”
“There is a fraught, tense and difficult road ahead for all of us and we need our politicians to show restraint and a huge amount of confidence in the process.
“I pray they do. We cannot slide into that abyss again and we cannot allow another attack like the one on October 7. Let’s just hope for the best.
“If this is what peace looks like: people laughing in Tel Aviv, people hugging each other and coming together, then I will accept that forever. We just have to toe the line and not allow the extreme to dictate our future while we crack down on terrorism.
“After two years we’ve all had enough.”
It is suggested that there are guarantees that the war will not reignite once the hostages are released, and this is a big ask.
For the time being, we do not know what guarantees these are and confidence in this region is scarce for obvious reasons.
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