On a Friday when a U.S.-brokered truce finally took hold, tens of thousands of Palestinians walked north along a coastal road toward neighborhoods reduced to rubble, carrying the old hope that home might still be standing. Like many chapters before it, this pause in the Gaza war arrives heavy with grief, with the dead still being pulled from debris and the living counting what remains. The exchange of remaining hostages for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners offers a fragile promise of closure, but the questions of who will govern Gaza, who will lay down arms, and whether the quiet will last
Thousands Return to Ruined Northern Gaza as U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire Takes Effect
More than 67,000 Palestinians killed and nearly 170,000 wounded in Gaza per the Health Ministry, with around 90% of the population displaced, often multiple times.
We hold our hope lightly because we've had our hopes dashed before.
Mark
Tens of thousands walking north on the first day. Why does that image carry so much?
Mimi
Because it shows the truce is being tested immediately by ordinary people. They're going back to places that, by the accounts of those already in Khan Younis, may be unidentifiable.
Mark
Fatma Radwan said there were only a few clothes, wood and pots left.
Mimi
And that people were still trying to recover bodies. The return isn't only homecoming; it's also searching.
Luke
Let's be careful with numbers. "Tens of thousands" is the reporters' characterization, not a count. And about 20 of the 48 hostages are "believed" alive, which is an estimate.
Mark
What about the 67,000 killed?
Luke
That's the Gaza Health Ministry's figure, part of the Hamas-run government. The U.N. and many experts consider it the most reliable, but it doesn't distinguish civilians from combatants.
Mimi
Which is why the article attributes it rather than stating it flatly.
Mark
The release timing seems fuzzy.
Luke
It is. Monday per Egyptian and Hamas officials, possibly Sunday night per another, all anonymous. Nothing is fixed publicly.
Mark
And the aid?
Mimi
Sunday is the start date, per an anonymous U.N. official, though fuel and medical supplies were already moving through Kareem Shalom on Friday per Dujarric.
Luke
The biggest unknown is disarmament. Netanyahu hinted at renewed force, but the plan doesn't say how or when Hamas gives up weapons, or who governs Gaza.
O Pulso
- Tens of thousands of people are streaming back toward northern Gaza on foot, walking into streets that no longer look like streets.
- The remaining 48 hostages are due for release by Monday, with about 20 believed alive, and families are holding their hope lightly after past disappointments.
- Israel's prisoner list leaves out Marwan Barghouti, a figure who could unify Palestinians, and Hamas disarmament remains an open wound in the deal.
- Netanyahu has warned that disarmament will happen 'the easy way or the hard way,' so the truce hangs on whether Hamas gives up its weapons or the offensive resumes.
- Aid trucks and fuel are beginning to move through Kareem Shalom, yet the U.N. says it has delivered only a fraction of what the population needs.
On a Friday when a U.S.-brokered truce finally took hold, tens of thousands of Palestinians walked north along a coastal road toward neighborhoods reduced to rubble, carrying the old hope that home might still be standing. Like many chapters before it, this pause in the Gaza war arrives heavy with grief, with the dead still being pulled from debris and the living counting what remains. The exchange of remaining hostages for roughly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners offers a fragile promise of closure, but the questions of who will govern Gaza, who will lay down arms, and whether the quiet will last remain unanswered.
On Friday, a long line of Palestinians, most of them on foot, moved along a coastal road in central Gaza toward the north. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire had just taken effect, and tens of thousands were going to see what was left of their homes. Others headed to the south. Israeli forces confirmed the truce, and the shelling that had marked the morning mostly stopped.
Under the deal, the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of them believed alive, are to be released by Monday, possibly sooner. In exchange, Israel will free around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader, is not on the list, and Israel has refused to free him before.
Those returning find even more destruction than after the January truce. In Khan Younis, families found wrecked buildings and rubble. One woman said there was nothing left but a few clothes, pieces of wood and pots, and people were still digging for bodies. Another man, Jamal Mesbah, said there was little joy, but the ceasefire eased some of the pain of bloodshed.
The toll is vast. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and nearly 170,000 wounded. Around 90% of the population has been displaced, often several times. Aid is set to flow, with approved deliveries and supplies beginning to move, though the U.N. says far more crossings and safe passage are needed.
For hostage families, hope is cautious. Stephen Brisley's family wants to bury a relative who is believed to have died in 2024, and they hold their hope lightly because it has been broken before.
The hardest questions remain. Netanyahu says Hamas will be disarmed, by easy means or hard, and Israel will keep operating from the roughly half of Gaza it still controls. What happens after the hostages come home is the thing to watch.
On Friday, a steady stream of Palestinians, almost all of them on foot, packed a coastal road in central Gaza and moved north. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire had just taken effect, and tens of thousands of people were heading toward the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip to see what remained of their homes. Others went to different parts of the territory in the south. The scene echoed the emotional movements 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 remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday. Two Egyptian officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said the hostage and prisoner releases should begin Monday, though another official said they could come as early as Sunday night.
In exchange, Israel is set to free around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. A list Israel published Friday did not include Marwan Barghouti, the most popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure. Israel regards him and other high-profile prisoners as terrorists and has refused to release them in past exchanges. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official and lead negotiator, said Thursday evening that all women and children held in Israeli jails will be freed.
Those returning will find even more destruction than after the last truce. 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 said there was nothing left but a few clothes, pieces of wood and pots, and that people were still trying to pull bodies from the debris. Hani Omran described a place he could not identify. Jamal Mesbah, displaced from the north and planning to return, said there was little joy, but the ceasefire eased somewhat the pain of death and bloodshed.
The scale of loss is vast. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 170,000 wounded. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, does not separate civilians from combatants but says around half of the dead were women and children; the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures the most reliable estimate. Around 90% of Gaza's roughly 2 million people have been displaced, often multiple times.
Aid is meant to follow quickly. A U.N. official, speaking anonymously, said Israel approved scaled-up deliveries starting Sunday, including 170,000 metric tons already staged in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said fuel and medical supplies 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 partners delivered only 20% of the aid needed. The ICC is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister over alleged use of starvation as a method of war; Israeli officials deny it.
For hostage families, hope is cautious. Stephen Brisley, whose sister Lianne Sharabi and her two teenage daughters were killed on Oct. 7, said the families feel a measured hope. Her husband Eli Sharabi was released, but his brother Yossi is believed to have died in an airstrike in January 2024, and the family wants to bury him with dignity. Brisley said they hold their hope lightly because it has been dashed before.
The harder questions are unresolved. Netanyahu, who unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, said Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza demilitarized, "the easy way" or "the hard way." Israel says it will keep operating defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls. President Trump's plan envisions an open-ended Israeli presence along the border, an international force largely from Arab and Muslim countries, a U.S.-led reconstruction effort, and an eventual, reform-dependent role for the Palestinian Authority, which Netanyahu opposes. On a Palestinian state, it is vaguer still. What happens after the hostages come home is the thing to watch.
Citações Notáveis
If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be achieved the hard way.— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Hamas disarmament
We came to a place that is unidentifiable … Destruction is everywhere.— Hani Omran, displaced from Khan Younis
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Leia o original em The Boston Herald ↗
War & Conflict