Qatar confirms Gaza cease-fire deal, which is set to come into effect Sunday
Gaza's government said Thursday that it is preparing to publish a plan to facilitate the return of displaced people from the central and southern parts of the Gaza Strip to their homes in Gaza City and the northern part of the enclave.
Ismail al-Thawabteh, the director-general of the Gaza Media Office, told Anadolu that "the government plan will be announced within the next two days, accompanied by daily instructions and guidelines to help Palestinian displaced people navigate the various stages of implementing the cease-fire agreement."
Al-Thawabteh urged displaced Palestinians to "adhere to government protocols and return via the Al-Rasheed coastal road in western Gaza to ensure their safety and the safety of their families."
More than two million people have been forced to flee their homes within the Gaza Strip, according to data from the media office in Gaza.
The displaced Palestinians are facing harsh conditions in schools, tents and on streets amid a lack of food and water and the spread of diseases.
Qatar on Wednesday announced a cease-fire agreement to end over 15 months of deadly Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, where nearly 46,800 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 110,000 injured since Oct. 7, 2023.
The three-phase deal, set to come into effect on Sunday, includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Under the first phase of the agreement, 33 Israeli captives are set to be released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli war on Gaza has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
In November last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
