The Gaza ceasefire held in its second day as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their neighbourhoods on Saturday (October 11) and Israelis cheered Monday’s expected release of the remaining hostages.

“Gaza is completely destroyed. I have no idea where we should live or where to go,” said Mahmoud al-Shandoghli in Gaza City as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war. A boy climbed debris to raise the Palestinian flag.

By Monday, Hamas is to begin releasing the remaining 48 Israeli hostages held in Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive. Israel will release around 2,000 Palestinians. Some 250 of them are serving prison sentences, while around 1,700 people seized from Gaza over the past two years are being held without any charge.

The Israel Prison Servic

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