Israel has begun transferring prisoners to two jails ahead of their release as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal, designed to lead to the release of hostages held by Hamas, the prison service said Saturday.
Thousands of staff, including prison officers, "operated throughout the night in order to implement the government's decision: 'The framework for the release of all Israeli hostages'," a statement said, AFP reported.
Under the truce deal Israel is supposed to release 250 prisoners, including some serving life sentences for deadly attacks. In exchange, Hamas has until Monday to hand over its 48 remaining Israeli hostages -- living and dead.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians made their way back to their Gaza neighborhoods on Saturday, weaving through dust-shrouded streets as bulldozers clawed through the wreckage of two years of war and a ceasefire held in its second day.
Aid groups urged Israel to reopen more crossings to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, and about 200 US troops arrived in Israel to help retrieve hostages and monitor the ceasefire with Hamas.
According to The AP news, the US troops will set up a center to facilitate the flow of aid as well as logistical and security assistance. The head of the US military’s Central Command said he visited Gaza on Saturday to prepare it.
“This great effort will be achieved with no US boots on the ground in Gaza,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement, noting that his command would lead the center.
Aid is just one issue for Palestinians returning to their destroyed homes.
“When people get there, they’re going to find rubble. They’ll find that their homes and their neighborhoods have been reduced to dust,” UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told The AP on Friday from central Gaza.
“A ceasefire alone is not enough,” Ingram added, and called for a “surge of humanitarian aid that begins to address the tremendous damage that has been done over the past two years.”
