Palestinians gather to receive aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza (Reuters)

Half a million displaced people have returned to Gaza City and their homes in the northern Gaza Strip since the ceasefire took effect the day before yesterday, Friday, under the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Gaza on Saturday, accompanied by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Admiral Brad Cooper to “verify the withdrawal of the Israeli army.”

On the second day of the ceasefire, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians continued heading towards Gaza City to return to their homes despite the destruction the city suffered. The Gaza Civil Defense reported on Saturday that more than half a million Palestinians had returned to the city since Friday noon, within less than 24 hours. The Civil Defense spokesperson said the returnees came to inspect what remains of their homes or to build temporary tents beside the rubble, describing the moment as “historic and full of hope despite the wounds.”

Thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning from southern Gaza to the north, with Al-Rashid and Salah al-Din roads crowded with Palestinians walking on foot searching for their remaining families and belongings.

An analysis by the United Nations Satellite Center of data from last July showed that about 193,000 buildings in Gaza were destroyed or damaged. According to the Gaza government media office, the destruction rate in Gaza Strip reached about 90%.

While the Gaza Interior Ministry continues deploying its forces in areas vacated by the Israeli army, the government media office announced that government teams carried out more than 5,000 field, service, and humanitarian missions within 24 hours, including providing medical care, treating the wounded, clearing rubble, restoring water and electricity networks, distributing food, and sheltering displaced people.

UNRWA stressed the urgent need to allow humanitarian aid to enter, noting that families returning to the north are uncertain about what remains of their homes and communities, and warned of continued famine if aid is delayed.

Meanwhile, Witkoff, senior advisor Jared Kushner, and CENTCOM commander Brad Cooper visited an Israeli army site inside Gaza on Saturday.

The Israeli army said in a statement that Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir toured Gaza with “Witkoff, Kushner, and Cooper.” Fox News reported that the visit aimed to “ensure the completion of the withdrawal agreed upon in the deal with Hamas.”

In a statement, Cooper confirmed the visit, saying: “I have just returned from a visit inside Gaza to clarify how we are moving forward in establishing a civil-military coordination center led by Central Command, which will coordinate activities to support stability after the conflict.”

Cooper also confirmed that no U.S. military personnel will be deployed directly inside the Palestinian area to monitor the implementation of peace agreements. (Agencies)