Thousands of residents are streaming back into northern Gaza and Gaza City on foot, as a cease-fire agreement holds firm overnight. However, initial reports from the region paint a grim picture of widespread destruction.
“The sheer scale of destruction is truly astonishing,” noted Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the United Nations’ humanitarian office, who had visited the city just last week. “Many people are heading north to Gaza City, only to arrive and find nothing but ruins where their homes once stood. It’s leading to a lot of mixed emotions.”
Mediators involved in the peace talks are optimistic that this cease-fire will eventually bring an end to two years of relentless conflict. For countless individuals trekking along the coastal road to northern Gaza, this pause in fighting represents their first opportunity to return home and assess what little remains of their former lives.
Among them was Ahmed Jabr, 37, who traveled on Friday with his wife and seven children. Having fled Gaza City last month, he had harbored fears that he might never see his home again. “Now, I’m finally back,” Mr. Jabr expressed. “There are no longer bombardments, no airstrikes, no fear. I feel safe at last, and so do my children.”
The cease-fire officially commenced at noon on Friday, shortly after Israel’s government gave its approval in the early hours of the morning.
The agreement stipulates that Hamas will release the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners currently detained by Israel. Additionally, Israeli troops are expected to withdraw to new deployment lines within the territory.
This deal draws inspiration from a 20-point plan originally unveiled by President Trump last month. While the recent agreement doesn’t fully address all the plan’s major provisions, such as whether Hamas will agree to disarm, Mr. Trump has nonetheless hailed it as a significant triumph.
“I’ve never witnessed such joy in many of these places, not just in Israel, but in numerous locations where people are dancing in the streets,” Mr. Trump remarked during a White House event on Friday. “I’ve truly never seen anything like it.”
He further informed reporters that he believed there was “broad consensus” on most aspects of the plan and anticipated the release of hostages by Monday. “They are retrieving them now,” he stated. “Some are being held in extremely difficult locations, and in some instances, very few people know their whereabouts.”
In Gaza, the initial euphoria over the cessation of hostilities is now being overshadowed by the immense devastation confronting many as they return to the northern areas.
On Saturday, Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defense emergency rescue service, reported that 63 bodies have been recovered from the streets of Gaza City since the cease-fire began on Friday. He fears that dozens more may still be buried under the rubble.
On the coastal route from southern Gaza, Mona Mortaja, a 27-year-old accounting student, was embarking on a journey back to a city she believed she might never lay eyes on again.
“Our farewell to Gaza felt like it would be our very last,” she shared on Friday.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed reporting from Haifa, Israel.