The Guardian view on the future of Gaza: Trump is threatening already frail hopes | Editorial

Palestinians are returning to the north - but the US president's desire to just clean out' the strip, however unrealistic, is deeply concerning

Palestinians are returning home to northern Gaza, though few of their homes still stand. Their hospitals, schools and other basic infrastructure are destroyed. For some there are tearful reunions; others search for the bodies of their loved ones. They seek hope amid therubble of their former lives.

Yet new threats loom. Israel and the United Nations are in a standoff over the future of Unwra, the relief agency for Palestinians. An Israeli law ending all cooperation with the agency is due to come into force on Thursday - just as desperately needed aid is finallysurging into Gaza. Aid experts say no other entity has the capacity to provide its residents with thelong-term support needed.