Two hundred US soldiers arrived in Israel to create a joint operations base managing Gaza’s ceasefire logistics and aid flow.
Officials confirmed that American personnel would stay outside Gaza while supervising humanitarian, logistical, and security coordination.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Central Command leader Brad Cooper visited Gaza on Saturday to verify Israel’s partial troop withdrawal.
“This mission will succeed without American forces entering Gaza,” Cooper said, confirming his team’s leadership of the operation.
Ceasefire Sparks Aid Surge and Reconstruction Efforts
Under the truce, Hamas agreed to free 48 hostages by Monday, with 20 believed still alive.
In return, Israel will release 2,000 Palestinian detainees and permit expanded humanitarian convoys into Gaza.
Gazan authorities reported 5,000 recovery operations since the truce started, including medical outreach and infrastructure repairs.
Workers resumed restoring water, sewage, and electricity while 700 aid missions delivered food to displaced families.
The World Food Programme announced plans to reopen 145 distribution centres once Israel authorizes greater access for relief agencies.
The United Nations said Israel had approved an increase in aid entry beginning Sunday to scale up relief efforts.
Palestinians Return to Devastation After Ceasefire
Hundreds of thousands of displaced residents trekked north through debris-filled streets toward their destroyed homes.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said 500,000 people have returned to Gaza City since the truce began.
“When families return, they find only ruins where neighbourhoods once stood,” UNICEF’s Tess Ingram said from central Gaza.
She called for a “massive wave of humanitarian aid” to meet urgent post-war needs.
Shifa Hospital officials said 45 bodies recovered from rubble arrived within 24 hours, missing for up to two weeks.
US President Donald Trump plans to visit the region soon for the Egypt peace signing, aiming to finalize an end to the two-year conflict.
