[IsraelTimes] Some Gazan officials thank Trump for deal, invitee him to visit; Jerusalem prepares to receive living, dead hostages, believes Hamas might release them before Monday deadline
Operatives belonging to Hamas
 ..a regional Iranian catspaw,...
’s internal security apparatus tasked with maintaining order within the Strip made their first public appearance just hours after a ceasefire in Gazoo came into effect, footage released by Hamas-affiliated media on Friday showed.
The footage only showed a handful of button men, and it was unclear whether there were any beyond those photographed.
The publication of their deployment appeared aimed at demonstrating that Hamas remains the most dominant force in parts of Gaza, even if severely battered after two years of war.
It appeared to be the first appearance of internal security officers since the previous ceasefire deal was reached in January.
While Hamas has agreed to release the remaining 48 hostages early next week, it has pushed back on subsequent elements of the US plan for ending the war, which have been put off for subsequent negotiations after the hostage-prisoner swap is completed.
Those include its disarmament and its exclusion from any role in the post-war management of Gaza. Hamas has insisted on keeping at least some of its weapons for so long as the broader conflict with Israel is ongoing.
While it has agreed to cede control over the governance of Gaza to an independent committee of Paleostinian technocrats, it also insists on remaining part of the Paleostinian national political dialogue.
The remnants of Hamas’s military force on display Friday highlight why some of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners oppose the deal inked on Thursday to end the war in Gaza. The two far-right parties are also seeking Jewish resettlement of the strip.
Yet-to-be-agreed-upon parts of the plan envision the decommissioning of Hamas’s weapons and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, and Netanyahu has asserted that Israel will resume fighting if those elements aren’t implemented.
In the meantime, Israel remains in control of over 50% of the Gaza Strip after its initial pullback earlier Friday. The IDF is remain in those positions after the hostages are released next week, while further withdrawals will be tied to Hamas’s disarmament and the establishment of an international stabilization force, which could take months to set up.
LOCAL GAZA OFFICIALS THANK TRUMP, INVITE HIM TO THE STRIP
The renewed visibility of Hamas’ security forces came amid a rare public show of gratitude from Gaza’s civilian leadership.
A group of local officials led by Iyad Abu Ramadan, head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter on Friday to US President Trump, thanking him for bringing about the end of the war in Gaza and inviting him to visit the Strip.
The letter, which was obtained by The Times of Israel, states: "We wish to express our sincere gratitude for your leadership and unwavering commitment to ending the war in Gaza... Your efforts have restored to us the most vital thing — hope."
"We wish to express our sincere gratitude for your leadership and unwavering commitment to ending the war in Gaza... Your efforts have restored to us the most vital thing — hope," the letter said.
Among those who signed on to the letter were Yahya al-Sarraj, the mayor of Gaza City; economist Soufian Odeh; and other business and academic figures.
The officials call not only for the reconstruction of the Strip, but also for the establishment of an independent Paleostinian state in line with UN resolutions.
In the letter, the officials invite Trump to visit the Gaza Strip, writing: "We would be deeply honored to welcome you to Gaza to witness firsthand the resilience of our people and the renewal your leadership has helped make possible."
ISRAEL READIES FOR HOSTAGE RELEASE
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti...
in Israel, authorities were preparing for the release of the remaining 48 hostages early next week.
Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas will release all remaining hostages, living or dead, by Monday in exchange for 250 Paleostinian security prisoners and 1,700 Gazook detainees.
Israel currently believes that Hamas may release the hostages earlier than previously expected, according to reports in Hebrew media, with some saying the release could take place on Sunday, rather than Monday.
US President Donald Trump
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
first told hostage families that all of the captives would be released on Monday, but he later told news hounds it might not happen until Tuesday.
"It could happen any day now from this moment on," a senior Israeli official said Friday. The official noted, however, that there has been no confirmation that Hamas will release hostages before Monday.
Israel has demanded that all hostages be released in one phase. Still, it is prepared for the possibility that the release could occur in multiple stages.
However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
if Hamas does not release all the hostages by noon on Monday, Israel will consider it a violation of the ceasefire agreement and respond in kind.
Hamas has told mediators that it may not be able to retrieve all of the bodies of hostages, as some of the fighters who knew where they were buried were killed in the war. Israel is aware of this.
The deal, inked Thursday, establishes a multinational task force aimed at helping locate all of the hostages’ remains, and the text appears to recognize that the process could take time, but it’s unclear how Israel will react if some of the bodies are not returned by Monday and whether the mediators will hold Jerusalem accountable for implementing subsequent phases of the deal if so.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, government hostage pointman Gal Hirsch spoke with the head of the Red Thingy in Israel, Julien Lerisson, on Friday to coordinate reception and care for the returning hostages.
Additionally, the IDF expanded its Re’im base facility to handle initial physical and mental health checks and family reunions for the released hostages. Those needing urgent medical care will be airlifted directly to hospitals such as Soroka in Beersheba.
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti...
the bodies of slain hostages are expected to be received by troops in Gaza, where a small ceremony, led by a military rabbi, will be held in their honor. They will then be taken to be identified by forensic experts.
Although previous hostage-release deals followed similar procedures, next week’s exchange is the largest to date, demanding more extensive planning.
Meanwhile,
...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti...
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency said at least 55 bodies were recovered from the wreckage and brought to hospitals across the territory today after Israel declared a ceasefire and started pulling back troops.
Mohammed al-Mughayyir, an official within the rescue force, did not give further details about when or how the people were killed.
The director of al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told AFP that 33 of the bodies were brought to hospitals across Gaza City, which was the scene of a grueling Israeli offensive before Friday’s ceasefire.
He said that one of the dead had been "targeted today by Israeli fire near the Baraka area in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City."
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