A greatly weakened Hamas has sought to reassert itself in Gaza since a ceasefire took hold, killing at least 33 people in a crackdown on groups that have tested its grip and appearing to get a U.S. nod to temporarily police the shattered enclave.

Pummelled by Israel during the war ignited by the October 7, 2023 attacks, Hamas has gradually sent its men back into the streets of Gaza since the ceasefire began on Friday, moving cautiously in case it suddenly collapses, according to two security sources in the territory.

Hamas deployed members of its Qassam Brigades military wing as it freed the last living hostages seized from Israel two years ago. It was a reminder of one of the major challenges facing U.S. President Donald Trump’s effort to secure a lasting deal for Gaza, as the U.S., Israel and many other nations demand Hamas disarm.

Reuters footage showed dozens of Hamas fighters lined up at a hospital in southern Gaza, one wearing a shoulder patch identifying him as a member of the elite “Shadow Unit” that Hamas sources say was tasked with guarding hostages.

One of the Gaza sources, a security official, said that since the ceasefire, Hamas forces had killed 32 members of “a gang affiliated with a family in Gaza City”, while six of its personnel had also been killed.

Later on Monday, a video circulating on social media appeared to show several masked gunmen, some of them wearing green headbands resembling ones worn by Hamas, shooting with machine guns at least seven men after forcing them to kneel in the street. Posts identified the video as filmed in Gaza on Monday. Civilian spectators cheered “Allah Akbar,” or God is Great, and called those killed “collaborators.”

Hostages and prisoners released as Gaza ceasefire declaration signed

After Hamas freed all living hostages and Israel began releasing prisoners in the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal, US President Donald Trump flew back to Washington on Monday hailing ‘peace in the Middle East’ although complex issues remain.

World leaders gathered in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for a summit aimed at consolidating the fragile truce and charting a path to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip.

Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi co-hosted the meeting, where mediators from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US formally signed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and high-ranking Hamas representatives did not attend the ceremony.

Al-Sissi praised Trump, saying: “You are the only one capable of achieving peace in the region.” Trump described the accord as “comprehensive” but no details were initially disclosed.

The ceremony was also attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and many other world leaders.

During a joint press conference, shortly after the US president touched down in Sharm el-Sheikh on the heels of his visit to Israel, Trump was asked by journalists when the second phase of negotiations would begin: “It’s started as far as we’re concerned,” Trump said

“It’s peace in the Middle East … it is happening before our very eyes,” he said.

Earlier in Jerusalem, in his speech to the Israeli parliament, Trump hailed “the end of an age of terror and death.”

While his words were met with loud applause and a standing ovation, questions remain about whether the ceasefire and peace plan for Gaza will hold.

Emotional scenes as freed hostages reunite with families

Earlier, Hamas handed over the 20 remaining living hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross after 738 days in captivity.

Emotional footage released by the Israeli military showed scenes of tearful family reunions that have moved the nation.

“My God, my God, my God!” one mother sobs as she clings to her son.

The images and video sequences, widely shared on social media, show Omri Miran playing with his two young daughters for the first time in two years, and brothers who were held separately while in captivity finally able to hold each other again.

Israel begins release of Palestinian prisoners

In return for the release of the hostages, Israel is to free around 1,700 Palestinians who have been detained since October 7, 2023, and around 250 prisoners, some of whom were serving life sentences.

The first buses carrying prisoners arrived in Ramallah under tight security, television images showed. Shortly before the buses departed, Israeli security forces used tear gas on those waiting near the prison, including journalists, the television broadcast showed.

The Israeli military has in recent days warned relatives of those being released that any celebrations are strictly prohibited.

Bodies of deceased hostages to be returned to their homes

Hamas also handed over four coffins containing the remains of dead hostages to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army said on Monday evening.

There was outrage in Israel over the fact that Hamas would only hand over the bodies of four of the 28 dead hostages.

The agreement on the ceasefire in the Gaza conflict stipulates that, in addition to the survivors, the bodies of all the dead hostages are to be handed over within 72 hours.

The Israeli military had earlier said it did not expect all the bodies to be handed over by the deadline.

Media reports have noted that the extensive destruction across the Gaza Strip may make it difficult to locate all the bodies.

What next?

Later stages of the deal include an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, an international stabilization force and the disarmament of Hamas.

The next few weeks and months will now be about turning this into a lasting peace. After all the wars and conflicts in the Middle East, there is great scepticism as to whether this will succeed.

Netanyahu promised in the Knesset that he would extend his hand to all those “who seek peace” with Israel. Israel will always be vigilant, but at the same time full of hope, he said.

Hamas, however, wrote in a statement: “The Palestinian people will not rest until the last prisoner is freed from the prisons of the new Nazis and the occupation is removed from our land and our holy sites.”

The war in Gaza began after the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, when Hamas and other Palestinian militants carried out a cross-border assault on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 others to the Gaza Strip.

More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent conflict, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in figures seen as credible by the UN. Most of the coastal strip has been reduced to rubble.

SOURECE: UPI, AP, AFP, REUTERS AND AGENCIES