Hamas to skip Gaza peace deal signing in Egypt, says official

GAZA CITY: Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to the ruins of Gaza City on Saturday, as Hamas said it would not attend the formal signing of a Gaza peace deal in Egypt and warned that the next stage of the US-brokered plan would be “far more difficult” than the first.

Hamas official Hossam Badran told AFP in Doha that “the second phase of the Trump plan, as it is clear from the points themselves, contains many complexities and difficulties.” He confirmed that the group would stay away from Monday’s signing ceremony in Cairo, where international leaders are expected to gather to discuss implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire.

Egypt, US top diplomats discuss preparations for Gaza summit

The latest truce followed two years of devastating conflict that began after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which triggered an Israeli counter-offensive that has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Under the peace plan, Israel will gradually withdraw its forces from Gaza’s cities, to be replaced by a multinational force comprising troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, coordinated by a US-led command centre based in Israel.

On Saturday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Admiral Brad Cooper, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump adviser Jared Kushner visited Gaza to plan the next phase of the truce with Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. Witkoff, Kushner and Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump later travelled to Tel Aviv to attend a vigil with families of the remaining Israeli hostages.

“Your courage has moved the world,” Witkoff told the families, assuring them their loved ones would return home soon.

Hamas has until Monday noon to hand over 47 remaining Israeli hostages—both living and dead—from the 251 abducted two years ago. In return, Israel will release 250 prisoners, including some serving life terms, and 1,700 Gazans detained during the war.

The Israeli Prison Service said the detainees had been transferred to facilities in Ofer and Ketziot ahead of the exchange.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence agency said more than 500,000 people had returned to Gaza City by Saturday evening. Residents described scenes of destruction as they searched for what was left of their homes.

“We walked for hours in fear and anxiety,” said Raja Salmi, 52, who found her house in the Al-Rimal neighbourhood reduced to rubble. “I stood before it and cried. All those memories are now just dust.”

Drone footage showed entire blocks flattened, while the UN said Israel had allowed aid agencies to start moving 170,000 tonnes of relief supplies into Gaza if the ceasefire holds.

“It felt like a ghost town, not Gaza,” said Sami Musa, 28, who returned to find his family home still standing. “The smell of death still lingers in the air.”