What we know about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, and what it means for Gaza and the hostages

Many of those returning to the north are unlikely to have homes to return to, with much of the area damaged and destroyed over the past 15 months. Meanwhile, their return is expected to mark the beginning of efforts to find missing loved ones who may be buried under the rubble, with the death toll of Israel’s offensive believed to be much higher than official numbers suggest.

In a peer-reviewed study published earlier this month in The Lancet journal, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said they estimated that as many as 64,260 people were killed in “traumatic injury deaths” within the months between Oct. 7, 2023, and June 30, 2024.

And in the hours since Wednesday’s ceasefire announcement, the death toll in Gaza continued to rise, with Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza Strip, warning in a post on Telegram on Thursday that nearly 80 people had been killed in the enclave since the agreement was announced, including at least 21 children, with dozens of other people wounded.

The ceasefire deal is expected to bring a “massive infusion of trucks” carrying desperately needed aid into the enclave, State Department spokesman Matt Miller said.

“This won’t happen overnight, but we want to get up to over 500 trucks a day,” he said, adding that the ceasefire would also enable the distribution of aid throughout the enclave.

“Because it is not just a question of getting trucks and getting assistance to the gates into Gaza — it’s getting them delivered,” he said. “It’s been very difficult because of the security situation on the ground.”

It is unclear what mechanisms have been worked out to facilitate boosted shipments of aid into the enclave. Humanitarian organizations have accused Israel of preventing much of the aid from entering the enclave during the conflict. Israel denies it is stopping aid from reaching desperate civilians, and accuses Hamas and criminal gangs are stealing supplies, and the United Nations of incompetence.

Would this mean a permanent end to the war?

It is unclear when exactly a second phase of the ceasefire might begin — but that will likely depend on how the first phase of the truce goes.