Last Thursday, after two years of war, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire as part of the initial phase of a 20-point Gaza plan proposed by the US president, Donald Trump. Amid the immediate sense of relief, much remains uncertain, but this could be the biggest step yet towards a durable end to the conflict.
There are questions to be resolved: the future form of the governance in Gaza, the devastated territory’s reconstruction, who could provide troops for an international “stabilisation” force, how much ground Israeli forces are going to give up when they pull back to new positions, will Hamas agree to disarm, and much else.
For now, though, as leaders from more than 20 countries met in Sharm-el-Sheikh to discuss the next stages of the deal, those affected by the war began to cautiously take their next steps. In our cover story, Seham Tantesh reports from Gaza, where optimism is tempered by the grim task of seeking closure for those who lost loved ones. In Tel Aviv, Daniel Boffey captures the mood in ‘hostages square’ after the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Finally, Patrick Wintour charts the diplomatic moves behind the scenes that helped forge the agreement.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Spanish town makes empathy its immigration stance
When Villamalea needed workers, the town council – across party lines – backed calls to regularise undocumented migrants in a move that seemed obvious to the town’s 4,200 residents but made national headlines. Ashifa Kassam reports
Science | How microplastics could be affecting our bodies
The particles are in our blood, brains and guts – and scientists are only beginning to learn what they do. Linda Geddes asks: how much plastic do we each carry, does it really matter and can we do anything about it?
Feature | Malala Yousafzai on growing up and choosing happiness
In her new memoir, the global icon of women’s education tells the full story of her turbulent recent life. Her chat with Sirin Kale covers everything from arguing with her parents to being ghosted by statesmen
Opinion | In France, and the world, belief in democracy is vanishing
Support for populists who feed on fear while lacking credible policies is a vote of no-conf idence in the system itself. With France caught in a political crisis, Macron and his counterparts need to find a different answer fast, argues Simon Tisdall
Culture | Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton on their high-stakes drama
The actors star in Conclave director Edward Berger’s woozy casino film Ballad of a Small Player. Amid the opulence of a Macau hotel, they talk to Ryan Gilbey about risk, addiction and Fabergé eggs
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What else we’ve been reading
• Poet and singer Joshua Idehen has been my musical discovery of the past year. As he prepares to release a new album, he tells Olive Pometsey about the genesis of his viral hit Mum Does the Washing, a personal turning point and what inspired the joy and optimism of his lyrics. Clare Horton, assistant editor
• Despite a population of just 600,000, the African island nation of Cape Verde has become the second-smallest country ever to qualify for football’s World Cup, but it was no accident. This dispatch from Alex Cizmic in Praia reveals how they did it – from tapping into the Cape Verdean world footballing diaspora to establishing a unifying team culture. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
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