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

At least eight civilians were killed and 95 others wounded in U.S. and Israeli attacks on a bridge in Iran's northern Alborz province on Thursday, the official news agency IRNA reported.

According to the report, the B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran. It was targeted twice with missiles on Thursday.

IRNA cited Qodratollah Seif, the province's deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that among those killed and injured were inhabitants of Bileqan village, passengers and the families who had gathered in the nearby areas for the Nature Day, a traditional Iranian holiday marking the end of the Nowruz holidays.

He added that there were no military activities in the areas surrounding the bridge, stressing that the structure was under construction and scheduled to be inaugurated in the coming days.

Seif said those injured in the strikes were immediately transferred to nearby medical centers, and some of them were hospitalized.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video on the social media Truth Social, showing smoke rising from the B1 bridge in Karaj, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages," warning of further destruction unless Iran comes to the table to end the five-week war.

Trump delivered a speech earlier on Wednesday in which he argued that the war launched by the United States and Israel was almost over -- even as he threatened to bomb Iran "extremely hard" if it did not bow to his demands.

Condemning the attacks in a post on X, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, "Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender."

He added, "It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America's standing."

On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.

8 killed, 95 wounded in US-Israeli attacks on Iran bridge