Throngs of people eagerly waited on Thursday for more than 100 Palestinian prisoners who were released from Israel in exchange for hostages held in Gaza.
Mr. Deif was assassinated in an Israeli strike on southern Gaza on July 13, Israel said. He was one of the most senior Hamas leaders inside the territory and one of Israelβs most-wanted militants.
Soldiers disrupted a Jerusalem gathering to mark the early release of an imprisoned Palestinian, arresting his brother and roughing up his father. A Times reporter conducting interviews was also assaulted.
Bloodshed over the weekend highlighted the brittleness of the cease-fires in both places. Still, Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah each have reasons to postpone a new escalation, at least for a few weeks.
For nearly 16 months, hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have lived in tents, barred from returning to northern Gaza. On Monday, Israel allowed them to walk back.
Hamas identified four female soldiers abducted from a military base as those who will be freed in the next exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
More than 30 hostages are set to be released during the cease-fire in Gaza. But many Israelis have mixed feelings about the deal because they feel it came at a high price.
After 470 days of death, a tentative cease-fire began on Sunday in Gaza. But Palestinians could not be sure that the war had ended, and Israelis fear that many hostages will still remain in Gaza.
President Bidenβs longtime aide rallied scores of nations to defend Ukraine, but then became a villain to the many critics of U.S. support for Israelβs war in Gaza.
Hamas remains the dominant Palestinian power in Gaza even after 15 months of Israeli bombardment, holding sway in displacement camps and refusing to surrender.
An agreement offers Gazans at least some respite, and for Israelis it means the release of hostages. But the dealβs ambiguity leaves open the possibility that fighting could resume within weeks.
President-elect Donald J. Trump said βall hell will break out in the Middle Eastβ if hostages captured in the Hamas-led attacks were not freed before he takes office.