Thousands Return to Ruined Homes in Gaza as U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire Takes Effect

On Friday, a steady stream of Palestinians, almost all of them on foot, packed a coastal road in central Gaza and walked north. They were heading toward what remains of their homes after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect. Tens of thousands made the trip. Others set out for different parts of the territory in the south. The scene repeated the emotional exodus that followed an earlier ceasefire in January.

The Israeli military confirmed the truce had begun. Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier in the day had mostly stopped after the announcement. Under the deal, the 48 hostages still held are to be freed by Monday, and around 20 of them are believed to be alive. Two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said the releases are expected to begin Monday, though another official said they could come as early as Sunday night. All of the officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly.

What the returning families find will be worse than in January. In recent weeks Israel waged a new offensive in Gaza City, bombing high-rises and blowing up homes in what it said was an effort to destroy Hamas' remaining military infrastructure. In Khan Younis, in the south, hundreds of people went back after Israeli troops withdrew and found wrecked buildings and rubble. Fatma Radwan, displaced from the city, said there was almost nothing left, only a few clothes, pieces of wood and pots, and that people were still trying to pull bodies from the debris. Hani Omran said he had arrived at a place he could not identify. Jamal Mesbah, who was displaced from the north and plans to return, said there was little joy, but that the ceasefire eased somewhat the pain of the bloodshed.

The scale of the war explains the mood. Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. In Israel's offensive since then, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry does not separate civilians from combatants but says about half of the dead are women and children. It is part of the Hamas-run government, though the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate available. Around 90% of Gaza's roughly 2 million people have been displaced, often more than once.

Aid is meant to follow quickly. A U.N. official, speaking anonymously because the details were not yet public, said Israel had approved scaled-up deliveries starting Sunday. They will include 170,000 metric tons already staged in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said fuel, medical supplies and other critical materials had begun moving through the Kareem Shalom crossing, and the U.N. wants more crossings opened and safe passage for aid workers and returning civilians. U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that in recent months the U.N. and its partners managed to deliver only 20% of the aid Gaza needs. The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister over alleged use of starvation as a method of war, which Israeli officials deny.

The exchange side of the deal is also set. Israel is to free around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners for the hostages. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official and lead negotiator, said all women and children held in Israeli jails will be released. The list Israel published Friday omitted Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure, whom Israel regards as a terrorist and has refused to free in past exchanges.

In Wales, Stephen Brisley described a measured hope among hostage families. His sister, Lianne Sharabi, and her two teenage daughters were killed on Oct. 7. Her husband, Eli, was later released, but Eli's brother Yossi is believed to have died in an airstrike in January 2024, and the family hopes to bury him. Brisley said they hold their hope lightly because it has been dashed before.

The hardest questions are unanswered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, said Hamas must disarm and Gaza be demilitarized, either "the easy way" or "the hard way." Israeli forces will keep operating defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza they still control. President Trump's plan calls for an open-ended Israeli presence along the border, an international force largely from Arab and Muslim countries to provide security, and a U.S.-led reconstruction effort. It foresees an eventual role for a reformed Palestinian Authority, which Netanyahu opposes, and says little about a Palestinian state, which he rejects. The next days will show whether the hostage and prisoner releases happen on schedule.