Humanity An estimated 650,000 Palestinians made their way home to northern Gaza over several days in January under the terms of a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The refugees, many
carrying all their personal possessions in plastic bags, trekked along the 12-mile coastal highway from south Gaza, where they had been sheltering, only to find their homes in the north destroyed after months of fighting. Many were forced to return south. The ceasefire,
overseen by President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, has led to dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners being released. Still to be decided is who will rule Gaza and whether wealthy Arab monarchies in the Persian Gulf will bankroll reconstruction, and under what conditions.