Attention turns to Phase Two of ceasefire in Gaza after burial of last Israeli hostage

Israel buried the final Israeli hostage recovered from Gaza on Wednesday, marking the end of the Phase One of the ceasefire agreement.

The second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza includes Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and the reconstruction of the strip.

Or Yissachar, executive director of the David Institute for Security Policy in Israel, said that Israel will follow the 20-point, three-phase Gaza peace plan which took effect in October 2025 to end the Israel-Hamas conflict that broke out in October 2023.

"Phase Two means the defeat of Hamas and de-militarization of Gaza. This is the deal that President Trump led. And if you listen to the president, he says Hamas will be demilitarized, the easy way or the hard way. These are the words of the president. So I think Israel is leading exactly, tone in line with President Trump and his policy," he said.

The second phase of the ceasefire deal will also include the deployment of an international stabilization force and the opening of the Rafah crossing in both directions.

The Rafah crossing is the main outlet for Gaza's population, particularly patients. Israel took control of the crossing in May 2024 following its military operation in the southern city of Rafah and has since halted passenger movement, deepening the humanitarian crisis and further isolating the coastal enclave.

"The Rafah crossing, I remind you, can also serve as an exit route, not just an entry route. I welcome Palestinians who would like to move elsewhere temporarily while the Gaza strip is reconstructed," said Yissachar.

The announced start of the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point comprehensive plan is a critical step in consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said on Wednesday.

Nearly the entire population in Gaza remains in need of humanitarian assistance, he said at an open debate of the UN Security Council on the Middle East. Heavy rainfall and cold temperatures have exacerbated the suffering of more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians in Gaza, while across all sectors, humanitarian actors are still unable to operate at scale.

Attention turns to Phase Two of ceasefire in Gaza after burial of last Israeli hostage

Attention turns to Phase Two of ceasefire in Gaza after burial of last Israeli hostage

Smart wearable devices are increasingly embedded in daily life in China, where booming sales of watches and smart glasses are reshaping the consumer electronics market.   In Beijing's Chaoyang District, smart watches have become a popular choice for shoppers seeking tools to monitor sleep, heart rate and stress.

"I often use my smart watch to monitor my sleep, heart rate, and stress. I hope it could also incorporate AI functions, allowing me to chat with it in-depth or help me complete some simple tasks," said a customer.

Beyond watches, smart glasses powered by large‑model technology are entering China's consumer market, reshaping the landscape of wearable electronics.

"It is more convenient to use smart glasses as earphones at work. This is my third pair of smart glasses, and the functions of the new one is much better than the previous ones," said a customer.

"Smart wearable devices have evolved significantly, shifting from simply displaying data to facilitating effective user interaction. As these product categories update at an accelerating pace and user demands grow increasingly diverse, manufacturers are compelled to accelerate their own cycles of innovation in both functional design and hardware configuration. Take smartwatches as an example: sales in this category have increased by more than 40 percent (compared to the same period in 2024)," said Zhang Jie, manager of Beijing Shuangjing Branch of JD Mall.

According to the latest worldwide quarterly wearable device tracker, in the first three quarters of 2025, global wrist-worn device shipments reached 150 million units, a year-on-year increase of 10 percent. 

Among them, China's cumulative shipments totaled 58.43 million units, representing a year-on-year growth of 27.6 percent. In the first half of 2025, the global smart glasses shipments reached 4.065 million units, a year-on-year increase of 64.2 percent, and China's cumulative shipments exceeded 1 million units.

China smart wearables growth fuels consumer electronics boom