Gaza’s ceasefire has entered its second day, with aid entering the besieged enclave and Hamas deploying its security forces in areas under its control. US officials have pledged to ensure Hamas rule ends in Gaza, while Israeli settlers have carried out attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Aid enters Gaza
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Sunday after the long-awaited truce came into effect.
Israel has blocked the entry of vital supplies to the besieged territory since the beginning of the war in October 2023, and used the entry of aid as leverage in negotiations with Hamas.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Saturday that the deal provides for “the entry of 600 trucks per day to the Strip, including 50 trucks of fuel”.
Palestinians who spoke to The New Arab‘s Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, expressed hopes that the entry of much-needed fuel will allow prices to fall in coming days. Amid the Israeli war and siege on Gaza, the price of a litre of diesel reached as high as 120 shekels, from below six shekels in normal times.
Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson Nebal Farsakh told AFP on  Sunday that “the Israeli authorities control the process of receiving aid”, adding that “the mechanisms for receiving these trucks and the crossing points through which they will enter remain unclear”.
Aid agencies have warned of several impediments to the delivery of aid, including the destruction of infrastructure previously used for delivery.
Hamas deploys forces, US vows end to control over Gaza
The implementation of the ceasefire on Sunday saw Hamas redeploy security forces across areas of Gaza still under its control, with fighters from the group’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, taking part in public celebrations.
Masked fighters dressed in military fatigues were seen transferring the captives over to the Red Crescent and featured prominently among crowds celebrating the ceasefire in Gaza.
In a statement on Sunday, Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida said the group would abide by the ceasefire, but that it would be “contingent upon the enemy’s commitment”.
The spokesman struck a defiant tone, hailing his group’s and the Palestinians’ “immense sacrifices”, while calling the 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel ” [the] final nail into the coffin of the occupation that is now on its way to vanishing”.
Amid the show of force by Hamas, US officials reiterated their commitment to removing the group from power as part of the staggered ceasefire.
Outgoing President Joe Biden said the truce’s second stage would see “a permanent end to the war, without Hamas in power”, while incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the group “will never govern in Gaza”.
Hamas, meanwhile, has pledged to push for the release of Palestinian political leaders Marwan Barghouti and Ahmed Saadat in the coming ceasefire round.
Settler ‘revenge’ over prisoner swap
In the occupied West Bank, a 14-year-old child was killed by Israeli forces on Sunday evening, amid a wave of settler attacks in the Palestinian territory.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Rushdi Jazar was shot and killed in the town of Sebastia, northwest of Nablus. The town’s mayor, Mohammed Azem, told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site that the youth was shot in the chest by Israeli forces.
Under Israeli security escort, settlers burned homes and attacked Palestinians on Sunday evening as a prisoner exchange deal got underway between Hamas and Israel.
Dozens of Settlers torched three homes and five cars in the town of Sinjil, northwest of Ramallah, local union leader Muhammad Alwan told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Alwan said the attacks followed calls for revenge against Palestinians on social media over the ceasefire deal, which is viewed by many Israeli hardliners as a failure of Israel’s war. Residents attempted to confront the settlers, who were under the protection of Israeli forces.
Settler attacks also took place in Turmus Ayya, harbatha Bani Harith, Huwara, Jaba, Burqa and Msafer Yatta.
