GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians returned to a devastated Gaza City on Saturday, as Hamas warned the next stage in US President Donald Trump’s peace plan would be more difficult than the first. Trump’s Middle East envoy promised Israeli hostage families their loved ones would be returned to them by Monday, and the region’s top US general visited Gaza one day after the guns fell silent. “Your courage has moved the world,” US peace envoy Witkoff told the families and huge crowd in Tel Aviv.

US President Donald Trump says Israeli captives held in Gaza will be released on Monday.

Questions remain over Gaza governance as Israeli troops pull back, with Hamas disarmament in question under Trump's ceasefire plan.