BICOM

One day into the 72-hour ceasefire, there was complete quiet in Israel and Gaza as neither side was accused of violating the truce.

Palestinians continued to return to their homes throughout the day, as the IDF relieved thousands of reservists. Summer holiday camps were allowed to restart in southern Israel, in a sign that the Israeli government expects the ceasefire to hold beyond the current 72-hour window.

Meanwhile, an Israeli negotiating team left for Cairo, including senior Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molcho and defence official Amos Gilad, as several Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives left Cairo and returned to Gaza.

The official list of Palestinian demands for a lasting ceasefire include a complete opening of Gaza’s borders, the construction of a seaport and airport, payment of Hamas members on the public payroll and the release of prisoners. However, Egypt has reportedly turned down some of these demands – such as the ports and opening Rafah – before presenting them to the Israeli team. Israel seeks the return of Gaza to Palestinian Authority (PA) control and disarmament of Gaza’s terrorist groups. Israel wants reconstruction and border crossings to happen under some form of international supervision in cooperation with the PA.

Egypt is reportedly seeking a two-day extension to the current ceasefire. Most sources report that Hamas is not eager to return to hostilities once the current truce expires.

In New York, Jordan has drafted a UN Security Council resolution on the conflict, which condemns casualties in Gaza and calls for a sustainable, monitored ceasefire.