But violence has not completely halted. Hamas has been seeking to reassert itself and some are concerned about a de facto partition of the territory, where conditions are dire. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 316 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce.
Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began and it has attacked scores of fighters.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 69,700 Palestinians, most of them civilians, health officials in Gaza say.
Under the terms of the truce, Hamas released all 20 living hostages held in Gaza in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and wartime detainees held by Israel.
Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of 28 dead hostages in exchange for the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants killed in the war. The remains of 25 hostages have so far been handed over.
Israel has returned 330 bodies of Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Source: CNA
