(NewsNation) — Aid trucks are getting into Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, but President Donald Trump expressed doubt the ceasefire will hold while signing executive orders Monday night.
As part of the ceasefire deal, three people taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, have been released by Hamas, with another four expected to be freed this weekend. A total of 33 hostages are set to return home in the first phase of the deal.
Loved ones of those still being held are urging Trump to make sure the deal is carried out to completion. This was something Trump said he’d do on the campaign trail. At one point, he said there would be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if all the hostages weren’t released by Inauguration Day.
Some families of Israelis still believed to be in captivity were onstage at Trump’s indoor parade Monday. The president was seen telling the families of at least one hostage that his administration was going to get him back.
To the audience, Trump said the work begins now, saying that this is “not a good situation.”
In the Oval Office Monday, Trump called Gaza a “massive demolition site” that has to be “rebuilt in a different way.”
Negotiating the second and third phases of this deal will be a critical step. If agreed to, a second phase would include the release of more hostages and a permanent pause in fighting, plus the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. In Phase 3, the deceased hostages would be returned, and the reconstruction of Gaza would begin.
However, it’s a delicate process. Mediators are in the Middle East right now on standby for obstacles as the first phase of this ceasefire is now underway. Trump on Monday night acknowledged that he is not confident the ceasefire will go through all three phases, telling reporters, “It’s not our war.”
Six killed by Israeli military in West Bank
A major Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday left at least six dead and dozens wounded, Palestinian health officials said.
This operation was focused on the city of Jenin, which The Associated Press reports has been through repeated Israeli incursions and gunbattles with militants in recent years.
This operation was announced shortly after the ceasefire in Gaza was announced.
More than 800 people have been killed by Israeli fire, including attacks by settlers, in the West Bank since Oct. 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry says.
According to the Associated Press, more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, which started after the Hamas-led attack on Oct.7 that killed 1,200.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
