Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a US-brokered ceasefire came into effect. The deal has raised hopes for an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

All the remaining hostages are set to be released within days. However, questions remain about who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back, and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.

The latest truce, nevertheless, marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel. The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90 percent of the Gaza population of approximately 2 million people, often multiple times.

In a televised statement on Friday, Netanyahu said the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized. “If this is achieved the easy way, so be it. If not, it will be achieved the hard way. Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarized,” he said.

The Israeli military has stated it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50 percent of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

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