Trump-Gaza latest: Palestinians return to flattened homes ahead of Israeli hostage release in fragile ceasefire

British nurse says reaction in Gaza is "happy, but muted"

The Independent’s foreign affairs reporter James Reynolds reports:

A British nurse in Gaza said that locals in Deir al-Balah were “happy that this might come to an end” - but the reaction to news of a ceasefire was “more muted than expected”.

Paula Tobin, a nurse with UK-Med working at a field hospital in central Gaza Strip, told The Independent that people were celebrating, but remained exhausted after a “really long, traumatic experience”.

“It’s quite muted. More than I would have expected,” she said.

“I think they're hopeful, but they're just exhausted,” she said. “Their living conditions are terrible. There’s so much overcrowding in the tents. There’s poor access to food, poor access to water, no safety, no security.”

She said she hoped that residents would be able to “go to sleep tonight and maybe not fear for their children’s lives” after two years of almost unabated conflict.

Paula said that medical facilities across Gaza still faced major shortages, especially in the north where the hospital medical system was “completely decimated”.

Asked whether there was any indication more aid was expected to come into Gaza as a result of the ceasefire agreement, she said: “As far as I am aware, it’s part of the plan that aid will be allowed in. We’re desperately in need of medical supplies.”

She said she was unaware of an exact timeline for supplies to be brought in at the time.

Alex Croft11 October 2025 08:31

‘Your body shivers from the scale of the destruction’: Thousands of Palestinians head back to their shattered lives after ceasefire

Clutching little more than a small rucksack or a metal can to hold water, tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza began their long walk home on Friday after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect.

Snaking along the coastal road heading north to Gaza City, those displaced countless times over two years of unprecedented bloodshed took to the road once more. Many carried nothing more than the clothes they were wearing as they dared to hope that a pause in the fighting might finally be more permanent.

Flanking the road were the ashen remains of buildings destroyed by relentless Israeli bombing. Mangled skylines loomed up around them, above piles of concrete rubble and twisted metal.

The Independent’s chief international correspondent Bel Trew and Nedal Hamdouna write:

Alex Croft11 October 2025 08:21

In pictures: Palestinians return to destroyed homes as fragile ceasefire holds

Alex Croft11 October 2025 08:06

Recap: What happened this week - and what is next?

A long-awaited ceasefire is now in place, after Donald Trump pushed Israel and Hamas to accept his 20-point plan to end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

The truce came into place on Friday morning, and will see thousands of Palestinians return home to their homes, which have been left largely in rubble following two years of bombardment.

The Israeli military said it has “begun positioning” its troops along the lines detailed in the ceasefire agreement.

On Friday morning, a 72-hour countdown began in which Hamas must release all 20 hostages who are believed to still be alive. They must be handed over by 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday.

The exact details of their release remains unclear, but in previous hostage handovers they've been collected by the Red Cross which has transferred them to Israel. From there, they have been airlifted to Israeli hospitals for check-ups and to be reunited with their families.

During this process, we expect to see the release of about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

We also expect to see about 600 humanitarian aid trucks entering Gaza daily from now on.

After this process has been completed, negotiations are expected to begin over the latter phases of Donald Trump's 20-point plan.

Alex Croft11 October 2025 07:47

Israel to deploy troops for Trump's visit

Israel Police said Operation “Blue Shield 6" will be enacted and is being finalised ahead of Donald Trump’s visit to the country on Monday.

The country will mobilise "thousands of police and Border Police officers". police said.

In an update on X, the police force said officers will be deployed "along key routes to ensure public safety, order, and smooth traffic flow during the state visit".

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 07:30

Mapped: Where will troops withdraw to as Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire?

It also means the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops to lines agreed upon during discussions, a key sticking point for both sides.

Israel’s critics have alleged that its military campaign has been part of an expansionist agenda, while Israel maintains it does not want to expel Palestinians from the Strip and is only seeking to destroy Hamas.

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 07:18

ICYMI: London police brace for clashes as protests planned

Police have put measures in place to try to prevent a clash between pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters in London, a day after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect.

Hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters are expected to gather for a march and speeches in central London on Saturday, as tens of thousands of Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, Stop The Hate has organised a counter-protest, at the junction of Aldwych and the Strand, police said.

Scotland Yard has imposed conditions under the Public Order Act to "prevent serious disruption" during the demonstrations, it said.

Conditions have been imposed on both demonstrations by the force, which set out specific areas protesters can gather as well as a march route.

The pro-Palestinian protest will be the 32nd national demonstration in support of Palestine since October 2023, according to organiser Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and will see protesters march along Embankment ending with in a rally in Whitehall.

The Metropolitan Police made reference to recent Government proposals to give police greater powers to restrict repeat protests but said that "at this time, the law remains unchanged".

The measures announced last weekend follow frequent pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including in London last Saturday.

Almost 500 people were arrested at last week's protest, with the majority on suspicion of supporting the banned terror organisation Palestine Action.

Calls for restraint had been made following the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester on October 2 in which two people were killed, with prime minister Sir Keir Starmer urging protesters to "respect the grief of British Jews".

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 07:01

Voices from Gaza as the ceasefire takes hold

“We are happy just to return – even over the rubble,” these are the words some Gazans have collectively spoken after a ceasefire took effect and Israeli troops began pulling back.

Along the coastal road overlooking the Mediterranean, a huge column of people moved north on foot towards Gaza City. Many carried what little they had salvaged from the ruins – bundles, blankets, children – as they returned to homes that may no longer exist.

"Thank God my house is still standing," said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City. "But the place is destroyed, my neighbours' houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone."

In the south, the devastation was even worse. The city of Khan Younis, once bustling with life, had been reduced to a dusty moonscape. Picking his way through the wreckage, Ahmed al-Brim, a middle-aged man, pushed a bicycle stacked with scrap timber – all that remained of his home.

"We went to our area. It was exterminated," he said quietly. "We don't know where we will go after that. We couldn't get the furniture, or clothes, or anything, not even winter clothes. Nothing is left."

Palestinian health workers said more than a hundred bodies were recovered from across Gaza after Israeli forces withdrew. But for many returning families, there was little time to mourn – only the urgent need to find shelter, water and food.

"Of course there are no homes – they've been destroyed," said Mahdi Saqla, 40, as he and his family joined the steady stream heading north.

"But we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble. That too is a great joy. For two years, we've been suffering, displaced from place to place."

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 06:37

Six more flotilla participants freed from Israeli detention

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) says six participants detained by Israel have been released, nearly 10 days after their ships were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

Five of those released were part of the GSF’s mission to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, while another participant – Okey Michael Vitalis from Nigeria – who was sailing with the Omar Al Mukhtar Flotilla intercepted earlier this week, was also freed on Friday, the group said.

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 06:00

Many unresolved questions remain as a ceasefire begins in Gaza

Bombardment stopped and Israeli troops pulled back in Gaza on Friday under a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

The truce, brokered after intense pressure from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, has brought the first quiet in Gaza in nearly two years of war.

Under the deal, Hamas is to release the remaining Israeli hostages within days in exchange for the release of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Aid trucks are also expected to begin entering Gaza as displaced families start heading north to their homes.

But the ceasefire – which US president Donald Trump hailed as “a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace” – leaves many questions unresolved.

Israel wants Hamas disarmed, while Hamas is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

The shape of a postwar administration for Gaza also remains uncertain, with Trump’s plan proposing an Arab-led international security force and a governing council led by Palestinian technocrats.

Israelis have welcomed the release deal as a long-awaited breakthrough, while Palestinians in Gaza have greeted the pause with relief and scepticism – unsure how long it will last, and whether their shattered territory will ever be rebuilt.

Much now depends on continued diplomatic pressure. Without it, analysts warn, any misstep could see Israel resume its campaign to destroy Hamas, plunging Gaza back into war.

Shweta Sharma11 October 2025 05:30