Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to northern Gaza on Friday as the Israel-Hamas cease-fire took effect. The official truce is just the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace proposal , but it marks the start of what many hope will become a lasting peace in Gaza and a potential pathway to independent Palestinian statehood. As celebrations erupted across the region on Friday, officials are now turning to negotiations on the second phase, which includes Israel’s complete withdrawal from the enclave, Hamas’s total demilitarization, and a new governing structure for Gaza.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the next steps in the Israel-Hamas peace process, the ouster of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, and parliamentary upsets in Japan and France .

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the next steps in the Israel-Hamas peace process, the ouster of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, and parliamentary upsets in Japan and France.

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The Next 72 Hours

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to northern Gaza on Friday as the Israel-Hamas cease-fire took effect. The official truce is just the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace proposal, but it marks the start of what many hope will become a lasting peace in Gaza and a potential pathway to independent Palestinian statehood. As celebrations erupted across the region on Friday, officials are now turning to negotiations on the second phase, which includes Israel