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Israel declared a ceasefire in Gaza and began to pull back its forces on Friday, as tens of thousands of exhausted Palestinians made their way back to their devastated homes.After two years of brutal war, the families of Israel’s remaining hostages in the territory were also hoping the truce — pushed by US President Donald Trump — would endure.Trump himself expressed confidence that the ceasefire would “hold”, telling reporters that Israel and Hamas were “all tired of the fighting”.The Israeli military said its troops had halted fire at noon (0900 GMT) “in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages”.Three hours later, the Pentagon confirmed Israel had completed the first phase of a pullback laid out in Trump’s peace plan. Israeli forces still hold around 53 percent of the Palestinian territory.The withdrawal set the clock running on a 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza.Israel, meanwhile, published the list of the 250 Palestinian prisoners it plans to release — along with 1,700 Gazans detained since Hamas triggered the latest conflict with its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.As the ceasefire began, long columns of Palestinians, exhausted by two years of intense bombardment and what the UN has warned were famine conditions, began a trek from the southern city of Khan Yunis towards their shattered homes further north.Rescue workers began retrieving dozens of bodies from vast stretches of debris after the ceasefire took effect.The EU mission at the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt will be reopening a pedestrian crossing on October 14, Italy said.Under the ceasefire deal proposed by Trump, Hamas will hand over 47 remaining hostages — living and dead — from the 251 abducted during the October 7 attack two years ago. The remains of one more hostage, held in Gaza since 2014, are also expected to be returned.Leaders of Britain, France and Germany urged the UN Security Council to back the plan.Trump confirmed that he would meet “a lot of leaders” in Egypt on Monday to discuss the future of devastated Gaza, adding that he was confident the ceasefire would lead to wider peace in the Middle East.- ‘Wounds and sorrow’ -As thousands of Palestinians began their journeys home, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said in a joint statement that they had achieved “a setback for (Israel’s) goals of displacement and uprooting”.”The negotiation process and the mechanism for implementing the agreement still require high national vigilance and close monitoring around the clock to ensure the success of this stage,” the groups said.”We will continue to work responsibly with the mediators to ensure that the occupation is bound to protect the rights of our people and end their suffering,” they added.Gaza’s civil defence agency confirmed that Israeli troops and armoured vehicles were pulling back from forward positions in both Gaza City and Khan Yunis.But Israel warned some areas were still off-limits and that Palestinians should steer clear of its forces while they were “adjusting operational positions in the Gaza Strip”.Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that around 200,000 Palestinians had returned to the north since the ceasefire took effect. “We’re going back to our areas, full of wounds and sorrow, but we thank God for this situation,” 32-year-old Ameer Abu Iyadeh told AFP in Khan Yunis.”I just pray (my home) hasn’t been destroyed… We only hope the war will end for good, so we’ll never have to flee again,” said Mohammed Mortaja, 39, as he headed to his home in Gaza City.Before dawn on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the government had approved a framework of the hostage-release deal.”Citizens of Israel, two years ago, the Simhat Torah holiday became a day of national mourning,” Netanyahu said, referring to a Jewish festival that begins at nightfall on Monday.”This Simhat Torah, with God’s help, will be a day of national joy, celebrating the return of all our brothers and sisters held hostage,” he said.The family of Alon Ohel, who is among the 20 living hostages due to be released, said they were “overwhelmed with emotion” and eagerly awaiting his return.”With tears of joy, we received the news that an agreement has been reached,” the family said.- Joy and grief -Despite celebrations in Israel and Gaza and a flood of congratulatory messages from world leaders, many issues remain unresolved, including Hamas’s disarmament and a proposed transitional authority for Gaza led by Trump.Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Qatar-based broadcaster Al Araby the Palestinian Islamist movement rejects the transitional authority.Residents of several areas of the Gaza Strip told AFP the Israeli military appeared to have withdrawn from positions it held on Thursday.Areej Abu Saadaeh, 53, who was displaced early in the conflict, was heading home between smashed piles of rubble and twisted steel, under clouds of cement dust.”I’m happy about the truce and peace, even though I’m a mother of a son and a daughter who were killed and I grieve for them deeply. Yet, the truce also brings joy: returning to our homes,” she said.str-dc-jd-acc/phz/mjw/tym

US President Donald Trump announced an additional 100 percent tariff on China Friday and threatened to cancel a summit with Xi Jinping, reigniting his trade war with Beijing in a row over export curbs on rare earth minerals.Trump said the extra levies, plus US export controls on “any and all critical software,” would come into …

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Friday said improving public education and healthcare was a priority, but made no reference to the youth movement that has been staging nationwide protests for sweeping social reforms.”We have set as priorities… the creation of jobs for young people, and the concrete improvement of the education and health sectors,” the monarch said in his annual address to the opening session of parliament.The royal speech had been much anticipated by the protesters, who have taken to the streets almost every night since September 27.The unrest that has rocked the usually stable north African country has been fuelled by recent reports of the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in the city of Agadir, which critics condemn as a symptom of a failing system.Demonstrators have been calling for a change in government and for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to resign.Many Moroccans have also expressed frustration at public spending as Morocco pushes ahead with major infrastructure projects in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, which it will co-host with Portugal and Spain.The king pleaded that “there should be no contradiction or competition between major national projects and social programmes”.- ‘Disappointed’ -GenZ 212, the online-based collective calling the protests — whose founders remain unknown — made no immediate reaction to the speech.Raghd, a 23-year-old sound engineer who had joined several demonstrations in Rabat, said she was “disappointed” that there was no explicit reference to the protests in the royal speech.”I thought he would say something stronger,” she told AFP without giving her last name.The collective had urged its followers to refrain from protesting on Friday night “out of respect” for the king.Yet Driss El Yazami, the former head of the National Human Rights Council, said the king’s speech might actually amount to “a national mobilisation”.He said the monarch “heard the call of the youth”.In his speech, the king said Morocco was “charting a steady path toward greater social and territorial justice”.He added that efforts must also ensure “that the fruits of growth benefit everyone”.In July, he had declared that “there is no place, today or tomorrow, for a Morocco moving at two speeds”.On Thursday, GenZ 212 demanded a “crackdown on corruption” and a “radical modernisation of school textbooks”.They also called for a national plan to renovate hospitals, recruit more doctors and healthcare workers, particularly in remote areas, and raise public health insurance reimbursement rates from 50 percent to 75 percent.Official figures show a lack of education in Morocco is a key driver of the country’s poverty, which has, nevertheless, fallen from nearly 12 percent of the population in 2014 to 6.8 percent in 2024.- ‘Shortfalls’ -GenZ 212 has insisted it had no political affiliation and no formal leadership.Members on the online messaging platform Discord where it was founded discuss issues openly and put every major decision up to a vote.Sociologist Mehdi Alioua said it comes as “part of a long history of youth-led social mobilisation in Morocco”.The north African country had seen mass protests in February 2011 and in 2016 with the Hirak uprising in the Rif region.Yet GenZ 212 has brought together “young, connected urbanites, from the middle or upper classes,” as well as “young rural and small-town workers, often exploited agricultural low-wage labourers with few rights”.The government made a fresh call on Thursday for dialogue with the protesters, saying their “message has been received” and vowing to “work quickly to mobilise resources and address shortfalls”.Rallies have been largely peaceful, though some nights have seen spates of violence and acts of vandalism.Three people were killed in clashes with security forces last week, while police have made dozens of arrests.

Stock markets fell Friday after US President Donald Trump threatened China with “massive” new tariffs, while oil prices retreated as Middle East tensions eased following the Gaza ceasefire.Trump, in an angry and lengthy social media post, slammed China for “very hostile” trade practices, including imposing new export controls on rare earths.In addition to “a massive increase of …

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Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Friday said improving public education and healthcare was a priority, but made no reference to the youth movement that has been staging nationwide protests for sweeping social reforms.”We have set as priorities… the creation of jobs for young people, and the concrete improvement of the education and health sectors,” the monarch said in his annual address to the opening session of parliament.The royal speech had been much anticipated by the protesters, who have taken to the streets almost every night since September 27.The unrest that has rocked the usually stable north African country has been fuelled by recent reports of the deaths of eight pregnant women at a public hospital in the city of Agadir, which critics condemn as a symptom of a failing system.Demonstrators have been calling for a change in government and for Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch to resign.Many Moroccans have also expressed frustration at public spending as Morocco pushes ahead with major infrastructure projects in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, which it will co-host with Portugal and Spain.The king pleaded that “there should be no contradiction or competition between major national projects and social programmes”.On Thursday, the online-based collective calling the protests, GenZ 212 — whose founders remain unknown — demanded a “crackdown on corruption” and a “radical modernisation of school textbooks”.They also called for a national plan to renovate hospitals, recruit more doctors and healthcare workers, particularly in remote areas, and raise public health insurance reimbursement rates from 50 percent to 75 percent.Official figures show a lack of education in Morocco is a key driver of the country’s poverty, which has, nevertheless, fallen from nearly 12 percent of the population in 2014 to 6.8 percent in 2024.The government made a fresh call on Thursday for dialogue with the protesters, saying their “message has been received” and vowing to “work quickly to mobilise resources and address shortfalls”.Rallies have been largely peaceful, though some nights have seen spates of violence and acts of vandalism.Three people were killed in clashes with security forces last week, while police have made dozens of arrests.

An AFP photographer was injured in an attack by Israeli settlers on Friday while covering the olive harvest in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank.”In my 30-year career, this is the first time I have faced violence of this kind,” said Jaafar Ashtiyeh, a Palestinian photographer based in the city of Nablus.”If I hadn’t managed to escape, they would have killed me,” he added.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and Israeli settlements there are expanding, and violence soaring.Ashtiyeh said he had been covering the olive harvest in the village of Beita, particularly looking at the work of Israeli and foreign peace activists who had come to support residents in the face of repeated settler attacks during the harvest season.Shortly after midday (0900 GMT), two groups of Israeli settlers armed with sticks and stones — numbering around 70 people in total — attacked the olive pickers and journalists at the scene.Hit by several stones in the back, arm and hand, Ashtiyeh was discharged from hospital in the afternoon and is suffering from bruising.His car, along with a handful of others parked at a safe distance from the field, was stoned and then set on fire by the assailants.Ashtiyeh said Israeli soldiers who were present before the attack did nothing to stop the attackers from advancing, but instead fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the olive pickers and activists to disperse them.”We strongly condemn this outrageous attack which is another illustration of the increasingly dangerous working environment for our journalists in the West Bank,” said Mehdi Lebouachera, AFP’s Global Editor-In-Chief.”We urge the Israeli military to not only ensure the protection of journalists going about their work but also to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he added.Contacted by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military did not immediately respond.The Palestinian health ministry said settler attacks injured 36 people on Friday in Beita and other nearby villages, with most of them suffering minor or moderate injuries, with the exception of two who were wounded by gunfire.

Lebanon and Syria on Friday committed to turning a new page on ties as Damascus’s foreign minister visited Beirut, with Lebanon seeking information on political assassinations under the Assad dynasty.The family of Bashar al-Assad, ousted in December, exercised control over Lebanese affairs for decades and was accused of assassinating numerous officials in Lebanon who expressed opposition to its rule.”Today we have opened a bright new page in relations between Syria and Lebanon,” said Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, the first senior Syrian official to visit Lebanon since Assad’s toppling.He said the trip demonstrated “a new Syrian approach towards Lebanon”, involving respect for its sovereignty and non-interference in its internal affairs.President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon looked forward to strengthening ties between the two countries “on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in domestic affairs”.A key issue is the fate of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, Shaibani said, adding that “we have made significant progress on this issue”.Some 2,250 Syrians are held in Lebanese jails, around a third of the total prison population, a judicial official told AFP.The official added that around 700 met the conditions for extradition, but noted that the matter required a new accord between the two countries.Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar told AFP that Lebanon has “requested all the information available to the Syrian side on the assassinations that took place in Lebanon” under the Assads, including that of former prime minister Rafic Hariri.He said Syria had shown cooperation on the issue, adding that Beirut had also requested information on thousands of Lebanese who went missing in Syria under the Assad family’s iron-fisted rule.- Refugees -Hundreds of Syrian prisoners, accused of “terrorism” or related offences including attacks on Lebanese forces, have been brought before Lebanon’s military courts.Others are held for alleged membership in jihadist or armed groups that were opposed to Assad, while some are still awaiting trial.Shaibani’s meetings also addressed issues including encouraging refugees to return home and fighting smuggling by securing the porous, 330-kilometre (205-mile) shared border.Lebanon has long hosted more than a million Syrians who fled their country’s civil war, though the United Nations refugee agency says more than 294,000 have returned home this year.Shaibani said “there are plans that we are discussing now, with international support, for the dignified and stable return” of refugees, noting the issue would be resolved gradually.Lebanon’s current leaders took office this year following a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah that left the militant group badly weakened after years of political dominance.Hezbollah, which fought alongside Syrian government forces during the country’s civil war from 2011, lost a major ally and cross-border supply route with Assad’s ouster.Lebanon’s government has tasked the army with disarming Hezbollah, the only armed group that refused to hand over its weapons following the Lebanese civil war.Syria became the dominant power in Lebanon after former president Hafez al-Assad intervened in its 1975-1990 civil war.His son Bashar only withdrew troops in 2005 following mass protests triggered by the killing of Hariri, blamed on Assad and Hezbollah.In December, Sharaa said his country would not interfere in Lebanon and would respect its neighbour’s sovereignty.