Ceasefire in Gaza holds, but calls grow for Israel to open border crossings, and Hamas to return hostages.

Monday brought tears of joy and pain in Israel and Gazasince all the living Israeli hostages and four of those who died in captivity were handed over by Hamas in exchange for the release of almost 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held by Israel. But like him ceasefire negotiated by President Trump held on Tuesday, there were a number of unresolved issues that tested his plan to turn it into sustainable peace.

Thousands of desperate Gazans were still waiting for vital humanitarian supplies, and the families of 24 deceased Israeli hostages were still anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones’ remains.

Leaders around the world welcomed Monday’s developments as the first step in the US-brokered plan. Trump has said the deal can end not only the two-year war in Gaza but also bring lasting peace to the region after eight decades of conflict and violence.

But there is an enormous amount of work to be done, not only to build confidence throughout the Middle East, but also to rebuild the coast of the Gaza Strip to make it habitable for its approximately 2 million Palestinian residents.

Calls to open Gaza borders so that aid can arrive

Trump’s 20-point peace plan said “all aid” would be “immediately sent” to Gaza as part of the first phase of the deal, but multiple organizations say the flow of aid materials has not increased quickly enough.

The International Red Cross on Tuesday joined the growing chorus of organizations calling for all border crossings into the enclave to be immediately opened to allow in more aid.

“Not all entry points are open for humanitarian aid inside Gaza. And that is the main problem at the moment. And that is what humanitarians, including the ICRC, have been calling for in the last few hours, to make sure that, due to the enormous needs, all entry points can be open,” Red Cross spokesman Christian Cardon told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

Dr. Yahya al-Sarraj, mayor of Gaza City, the territory’s largest population center, told the News themezone team in Gaza on Tuesday that the shattered metropolis is in desperate need of construction materials, as well as humanitarian aid and even tents to provide temporary shelter.

“Everything is needed here,” Al-Sarraj, who recently described himself as politically independent and never a member of Hamas, told News themezone. “We need heavy machinery. We need construction materials, especially cement… and all kinds of food for the people to help them counteract the famine that occurred during the last two years.”

“It is also especially necessary to immediately provide tents so that people can have a place to shelter,” the mayor added.

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said on Monday that the U.N. was allocating an additional $11 million for humanitarian aid in Gaza, “bringing the total to $20 million, to deliver food, water, shelter and health services, and keep essential infrastructure running.”

Israeli security officials told News themezone on Sunday that around 600 humanitarian aid trucks operated by UN agencies could enter Gaza daily under the ceasefire, although it is unclear whether traffic has reached that level since fighting stopped on Friday.

Delivering aid to the famine-stricken Gaza Strip will be a challenge, given the widespread devastation in the densely populated region, Hani Almadhoun, senior director of philanthropy at a charity that supports the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, told “News Mornings” on Tuesday.

“One of the challenges is that the roads are broken. There are ditches. It is difficult to drive trucks on those roads,” said Almadhoun, who also founded the charity Gaza Soup Kitchen. “I believe that in the coming days things will improve. I hope that everyone will fulfill their part of the agreement so that the Palestinians can take a breath.”

Remains of deceased hostages have not yet been returned

The peace plan called for Hamas to return all the hostages, 28 dead and 20 alive, but on Monday Hamas handed over the remains of only four deceased Israeli captives.

The return of the outstanding remains has become a serious stumbling block, which could jeopardize the ceasefire and progress toward implementing the next phases of Trump’s peace plan.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of Israeli hostages, expressed anger that all the bodies had not been returned by Monday and called for the suspension of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas “until all deceased individuals are returned.”

In an open letter to White House senior Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday, the forum called on the United States to leave “no stone unturned in demanding that Hamas fulfill its part of the agreement and bring all remaining hostages home.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday that Hamas’s return of just four bodies “constitutes a violation of the agreement,” in a social media post, adding that “any delay or deliberate evasion will be considered a serious violation of the agreement and will be responded to accordingly.”

During the negotiations that led to the ceasefire, Hamas representatives said they did not know the location of all the remains of the deceased hostages, according to Israeli media reports.

Speaking on Monday in Egypt, President Trump also said Not all of the bodies of the deceased hostages have been found, adding that unidentified parties are still “working” on how to locate an unspecified number of remains.

In a statement confirming the return of the four remains on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces said they and other Israeli agencies would “continue to make every effort to return all hostages and are preparing for the continued implementation of the agreement.”

“Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all hostages to their families and a proper burial,” the IDF statement added.

Gal Hirsch, Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, told News themezone last week that an international team would be established to locate missing hostages in Gaza, but details about who will form that team and when its work might begin were not confirmed Tuesday.

In:

• War
• Hostage situation
• Hamas
• Israel
• Cease-fire
• donald trump
• Loop
• Palestinians
• Benjamin Netanyahu