Palestinians in Gaza express relief and caution as ceasefire deal raises hopes of ending the war

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Eager for the bloodshed, displacement and destruction to stop, many Palestinians in Gaza were relieved to hear news that Israel and Hamas agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war. But it was mixed with pain from staggering losses and concern about what comes next.

“Once we heard the news about the truce, we felt happy,” said Ibrahim Shurrab from Khan Younis. “We ask God for the happiness to continue for us and for our Palestinian people and for us to return to our homes despite the pain and suffering,” he added, speaking in Muwasi, an area crowded with tents sheltering Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes.

Nevin Qudeeh said she felt the greatest sense of relief since the war erupted two years ago. She’ll be even happier, she added, when she can return home.

“We’re staying on the streets.”

Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused vast destruction, displacement and suffering in Gaza. The war also brought famine to parts of the territory.

In Deir al-Balah, some children greeted the news with whistles, claps and celebratory chants of “Allahu akbar,” the Arabic phrase for “God is great.”

Mahmoud Wadi said he received the news with “massive happiness and an indescribable feeling.”

Others in the Gaza Strip wrestled with mixed emotions.

“I am happy and unhappy,” said Mohammad Al-Farra. “We have lost a lot of people and lost loved ones, friends,” relatives and homes that are about a lot more than stones and physical buildings, he said.

One cannot help but wonder what the day after would look like, he said — or where to even begin picking up the pieces. “The situation is very difficult.”

But he said they would overcome future hardships just like they’ve been doing.

Taghreed al-Jabali, displaced from Khan Younis, shared the mixed feelings.

“We don’t know whether to feel happy or sad,” she said, lamenting the killings and losses of the last two years, including children missing two full years of school.

“Our sons and daughters didn’t receive education. A whole generation was lost. Two generations were lost, not just one. May God make it up for us,” she said.

Mohamed al-Nashar from Gaza City said people feel “very cautious and we are fearful of what is to come.”

He worried that a truce could be violated at any moment, adding that Israeli strikes have been persistent in areas where the army is still operating.

Some were skeptical about Israel following through on a deal but held out hope.

Explosions were seen Thursday morning in northern Gaza as Israeli strikes continued. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes but earlier in the day said it had begun preparations for the implementation of the ceasefire and that troops were planning to shift to “adjusted deployment lines.”

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza. But the sides appear closer than they have been in months to ending the war.

In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory lies in ruins, Palestinians have been desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the territory, sometimes using blankets for shelter.

In their 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200, mostly civilians. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll has exceeded 67,000 people. The ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half of the deaths were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

“We’re a people who’ve suffered from the injustice of the (Israeli) occupation and the injustice of the war,” said Samir Moammer, displaced from Rafah. “Education has stopped. People’s lives have stopped.”

He said he prays to God for the war and the bloodshed to end.

“The occupation has returned us to the Stone Age,” he said. “We ask God to complete this happiness and for people to return to how they were before.”

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Fam reported from Cairo. Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war