Live: Israel dropped 153 tonnes of bombs on Gaza on Sunday

The first batch of bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel since October 2023 has arrived in the enclave after being released by Israel, local health authorities told Reuters on Tuesday.

Israel still hold hundreds of bodies of Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, including those of fighters who took part in the attack on southern Israel that day, and the fighting afterwards.

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry denounced on Tuesday the incursions by Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

In a statement, the ministry described the move as “a flagrant violation of the existing legal and historical status of Al-Aqsa Mosque”.

“Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the ministry added.

On Tuesday, Ben Gvir stormed the area for the second time in a week.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Tuesday that it will take time to hand over the remains of hostages and detainees killed in during the war, calling it a "massive challenge" given the difficulties of finding bodies amid Gaza's rubble.

"That's an even bigger challenge than having the people alive being released. That's a massive challenge," said the ICRC's spokesperson Christian Cardon, adding it could take days or weeks and that there was a possibility they will never be found.

Reporting by Reuters

The Israeli army said its troops have killed five Palestinians in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City.

The Israeli army claimed the Palestinians killed were approaching its soldiers when targeted.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal said that rescue teams have recovered more than 250 bodies from under the rubble since fighting has stopped in the strip.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Basal said some of the bodies recovered were lying in the streets.

He said: “We are facing a significant shortage of heavy equipment to remove the rubble.

"More than 10,000 people are still under the rubble, and we don’t have the means to reach them," Basal said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will seek the support of Gulf states, the United States and Europe for the reconstruction of Gaza under the new ceasefire deal, and added that he believed project financing would be provided swiftly.

Speaking to reporters on a return flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, Erdogan said Western countries' decisions to recognise the Palestinian state should be seen as building blocks of a two-state solution, according to a transcript shared by his office on Tuesday.

Reporting by Reuters

The Israeli army issued a statement stating that its soldiers opened fire on Palestinians, calling them "several suspects", who came close to troops stationed in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning.

"Attempts were made to distance the suspects. The suspects did not comply and continued approaching the troops, who opened fire to remove the threat," the statement said.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, has commented on Israeli forces banning Palestinians from celebrating the release of prisoners in the occupied West Bank.

On X, she said: “All eyes must remain on Palestine. People of the world, do not look away now.”

Palestinian media is reporting that violent clashes have been ongoing since Tuesday morning east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza. 

The fighting involves security forces said to be affiliated with the interior ministry and armed groups described as being backed by Israel.

At least two people were wounded when Israeli troops opened fire on Palestinians while carrying out overnight raids in several areas in the occupied West Bank, says Wafa news agency.

In the town of Anabta, located in Tulkarm, Israeli soldiers shot a young man in the hand, and arrested a number of other youngsters after assaulting them.

In another incident reported in the town of al-Issawiya, near occupied Jerusalem, another young man was injured by Israeli forces before arresting him.

The cities of Qalqilya and Tubas and the town of Tammun have also been stormed by Israeli soldiers, who raided several homes in these areas.

When asked about the call for a two-state solution brought forward by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, US President Donald Trump said his peace plan was about something very different – “rebuilding Gaza”.

Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One about the Gaza ceasefire deal, he said: “A lot of people like the one state solution; a lot of people like the two state solution… I haven’t commented on that. At some point I’ll decide what I think is right, but I’d be in coordination with other states and other countries.”

Reporters also asked him abut the second phase of the deal for Gaza, and he responded saying: “You know, we have a lot of power.”

He added: “Those are, you know, really seriously rich countries and they can handle it,” he added, referring to the countries whose leaders attended the summit.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, here are the latest updates:

- US President Donald Trump commented on bringing up the subject of a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech at the Israeli Knesset on Monday, saying he did so only because Netanyahu "was getting a very good hand [applause]" and it was "good timing".

- The list of Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons on Monday included the names of at least 55 health workers, including 24 nurses, seven doctors and two paramedics, according to advocacy organisation Healthcare Workers Watch.

- Brother of Al Jazeera correspondent Ibrahim al-Khalili, Mohammed, was among the Palestinians freed on Monday. He said during detention for 19 months, prisoners "were beaten and humiliated".

- UN’s relief chief Tom Fletcher said an additional $11m will be allocated from the UN’s emergency response fund to help "scale up aid" in Gaza as winter months approach, bringing the total funds used to deliver "food, water, shelter and health services" to $20m.

- Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has praised the "positive outcomes of the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit," saying he hopes the deal "will serve as a starting point for future agreements that fulfil the aspirations of our brothers in the Gaza Strip".

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders said that the most important priority was to ensure that Palestinians in Gaza obtained humanitarian aid in the wake of the ceaefire deal in a social media post on X on Monday.

He urged the UN to have "unfettered access" amid "widespread malnutrition and starvation" in Gaza.

He also said the international community needed to help rebuild Gaza after "the entire infrastructure...had been destroyed," and advocated for Palestinians to "guide this process and determine their future".

Americans would have to grapple with "their role" in this "extremely dark chapter" he added.

He defended the right of Israelis to defend themselves after Hamas's attack, but not the right to "go to war against the entire Palestinian people".

US President Donald Trump’s Middle East visit had all the showmanship he relishes: an address at the Israeli Knesset, an escort of Egyptian fighter jets, and an impromptu nomination for the Nobel Prize by Pakistan’s prime minister.

“The war in Gaza is over…now the rebuilding begins,” Trump said on Monday when he touched down in the Egyptian Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh - the second leg of a whirlwind Middle East tour that would usher in his Gaza peace deal.

Earlier in the day, Trump visited Israel. The US president used his time addressing the country’s parliament to reaffirm his commitment to the Gaza deal and advocate for the advancement of the Abraham Accords. He also lobbied Israel’s president to issue a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a corruption trial.

Dozens of world leaders waited roughly three hours for Trump to arrive in Sharm el-Sheikh. Trump was greeted coming out of Air Force One by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, whose government fiercely resisted efforts to forcibly displace Palestinians to the Sinai Peninsula during Israel’s years-long offensive on the Gaza Strip.

You can read more here. 

US President Donald Trump said he gave the "approval" for Hamas fighters to deploy throughout Gaza, in order to prevent a security vacuum.

Hours after the ceasefire went into effect on Friday, armed Hamas members could be seen moving freely in Khan Younis and other parts of the enclave.

Videos seen by Middle East Eye showed Palestinians cheering as they passed.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his trip to Israel and Egypt to mark his ceasefire agreement, the US president said that he believed Hamas wants "to stop the problems".

"And they've been open about it, and we gave them approval for a period of time," Trump said. "We are having them watch that there's not going to be big crime or some of the problems that you have when you have areas like this that have been literally demolished," he added.

You can read more here.