A boy lies on foam mattresses beside a destroyed building in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, as displaced people begin to return to their homes after Israeli forces' withdrawal. Photograph: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images
The announcement of the ceasefire deal signed by Israel and Hamas in Cairo last week has been widely welcomed in Gaza, Israel and the wider world. The first phase envisages that Israeli forces in Gaza will withdraw to an agreed-upon line for a hostage release, following which all Israeli hostages, alive and deceased, will be returned within 72 hours. This is to be followed by the release of 250 of the 303 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons, along with about 1,700 Palestinians detained in Gaza since October 7th 2023.
The Hamas leadership has agreed to the release of all hostages, but already there are disputes regarding prisoner release, most notably in the case of Marwan Barghouti.
Barghouti is the most senior Palestinian leader in jail and the most
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