ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
The Gaza ceasefire is now in place, and Israel and Hamas are preparing for a crucial part of this agreement. Hamas must release all the remaining Israeli hostages, and Israel must free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees. If all this goes as planned, the road to peace might look a little smoother. For the latest, we are joined by NPR's Greg Myre in Tel Aviv. Hey, Greg.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Andrew.
LIMBONG: Greg, the ceasefire took effect on Friday. How's it holding up?
MYRE: Yeah, the truce is holding, so it's a promising start after two years of almost nonstop fighting, which was the deadliest ever between Israelis and Palestinians. There's a very real sense of anticipation as both sides prepare for this big exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. This was palpable tonight as President Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, who helped broker the truce, spoke to a huge crowd in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square, the plaza where there's been a vigil (ph) for the hostages throughout the war.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
STEVE WITKOFF: To the hostages themselves, our brothers and sisters, you are coming home.
(CHEERING)
MYRE: Now, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was also part of the negotiations, paid tribute to Palestinians in Gaza, where so many civilians have been killed.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JARED KUSHNER: And also to see the suffering end for the people in Gaza, who, for most of them, were experiencing this through no fault of their own other than being born into a situation that was horrific.
LIMBONG: Now, President Trump is set to be in Israel on Monday. What kind of reception will he get?
MYRE: Yeah, Andrew, he's going to get a huge welcome. We had...
LIMBONG: Yeah.
MYRE: ...A taste of that tonight at Hostage Square. The crowd kept chanting, thank you, Trump, thank you, Trump. Some of the crowd had placards of the president. They credit him for this ceasefire. And this is particularly true among the hostage families and their many supporters. They believe Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected earlier opportunities to end the war, and it is clear that Trump put extensive pressure on Netanyahu and Hamas to accept this deal now. And I'll just add that when Witkoff mentioned Netanyahu's name, the crowd booed long and hard.
LIMBONG: Oh, wow. All right, so that's the scene in Israel today. What's happening in Gaza now?
MYRE: Yeah, again, we have these huge numbers of Palestinians continuing to leave Southern Gaza, where they were crammed into tent camps, and they're making their way back to their homes in other parts of the territory. Of course, most are returning to homes that have been destroyed, and they'll probably continue living in tents indefinitely. Food, medicine and other basics that have been critically short are now expected to be trucked in in large quantities, which will provide some measure of badly needed relief.
Now, NPR's Anas Baba, who has reported from Gaza throughout the war, says, Hamas civilian police are back on the streets in some areas, and this could become an issue. Under the ceasefire plan, Hamas is supposed to give up its weapons and not play a role in the future governance of Gaza, but there's no one else at the moment to run Gaza. So we'll be watching closely to see exactly how - to what extent Hamas reemerges.
LIMBONG: Yeah. Can you tell us more about how the hostage and prisoner exchange that I mentioned up top - how that's supposed to be - how that's supposed to play out?
MYRE: So we're hearing talk it could begin late Sunday, but it appears it will mostly play out on Monday. Hamas is believed to have 20 living hostages, but they've been hidden in separate places, and they'll be need to brought - be brought together and freed by midday on Monday. Hamas has also indicated it doesn't know the exact locations of all 28 bodies of the dead hostages and will need additional time to find them. On the Israeli side, Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in different jails are being moved together in advance of their releases. Some will go to the West Bank, some to Gaza, and others will be deported abroad.
LIMBONG: And so with this truce in place, the U.S. is sending troops to Israel. What do we know about what role they're going to play there?
MYRE: Yeah, so it's going to be about 200 American troops, and they'll be part of a military-civilian coordination center, and this will involve other countries, as well, all of them trying to keep the ceasefire on track. Now, the U.S. contingent is led by Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, who's already here in Israel. Two key points, Andrew - first, the U.S. military presence is a sign that the Trump administration really wants this ceasefire to stick. Second, the Americans and others in the group will be doing things like planning, logistics, transportation, but doing it from a safe distance in Israel. As Admiral Cooper said on X, quote, "this great effort will be achieved with no U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza."
LIMBONG: That's NPR's Greg Myre in Tel Aviv. Thanks, Greg.
MYRE: Sure thing, Andrew. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
