Tens of thousands of Palestinians have returned to Gaza City and the north of the Strip since Friday when a ceasefire between Israel Hamas came into effect.

Hamas and Israel have agreed on the first phase of a deal proposed by US President Donald Trump that has paused the fighting in Gaza and was expected to see the release of hostages by the militants, as well as Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Although the broader ceasefire plan leaves many questions unanswered, including whether and how Hamas will disarm and who will govern Gaza, the pause in fighting marks a key step toward ending the devastating two-year war and will allow more food, medicine and other aid into Gaza.

Israeli 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% of the Gaza population of some 2 million, often multiple times.

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday.