Italy says monitoring mission, which was halted when Hamas seized control of Strip in 2007, 'was launched at the request of Israel and the PA'

Olaf Scholz calls on all sides to implement ceasefire agreement, emphasizes it's also time to plan Gaza Strip's political and economic future - Anadolu Ajansı

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday urged greater progress in shaping the political and economic future of the Gaza Strip, following the release of further hostages by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

But the UN's special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, denounced the statements by both Trump and Smotrich, saying: "Ethnic cleansing is anything but an 'out-of the box' thinking, no matter how one packages it. It is illegal, immoral and irresponsible."

The European Union agreed to reactivate its border assistance mission at the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s top diplomat, said Monday.

Celebrations that erupted in Gaza on Sunday morning after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect have quickly given way to dismay as Palestinians begin returning to what’s left of their homes.

Crowds of displaced Palestinians made the arduous journey back to heavily destroyed northern Gaza for a second day Tuesday, under a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. More than 375,000 Palestinians have crossed into northern Gaza since Israel allowed their return on Monday morning,

United States President Donald Trump said late Saturday he would like to “just clean out” the Gaza Strip, with the population moving to other countries in the Middle East.

Israel delayed the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza for two days because they accused Hamas of violating the terms of the ceasefire agreement by not releasing Yehoud, a civilian, on Saturday. Palestinians began returning to the north on Monday morning after negotiations.

“Our position is clear: Gazans need to stay in Gaza. Gaza is part of the future Palestinian state, which needs to be controlled by a single government,” said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, speaking in Brussels. "As soon as possible, Gaza and the West Bank should be governed by a single national Palestinian authority," he continued.

Hamas has announced the names of the next four hostages it will release this weekend as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel that has halted fighting in Gaza for at least six weeks.