A ceasefire in the war in Gaza was holding for the third day on Sunday as aid agencies worked to rush in more desperately needed aid to the besieged territory under the truce deal. Preparations were also underway for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who pushed to clinch the ceasefire deal, is expected to arrive in Israel Monday morning. He will meet with families of hostages and speak at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, according to a schedule released by the White House.
Trump will then continue on to Egypt, where the office of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has said he will co-chair a “peace summit” on Monday with attendance by regional and international leaders.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry has deployed thousands of police in areas the Israeli military withdrew from after the ceasefire took effect.
Armed policemen were seen on Gaza City streets and in southern Gaza on Saturday, providing a sense of security to the local population. The police also provided security for aid trucks driving through areas no controlled by the Israeli military, according to residents.
Here’s the latest:
UN aid agency ‘standing ready’
The largest humanitarian actor in Gaza, UNRWA, which has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks of aid waiting outside in Egypt and Jordan, said it had no clarity on its role in the new scaling up of relief provided to Gaza.
Spokesperson Jonathan Fowler said the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is “standing ready” to contribute and has enough food supplies in its warehouses for the entire population of the Gaza Strip for three months.
