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Palestinians in Gaza celebrated the ceasefire that came into effect at 9.15am GMT on Sunday, describing “the most beautiful joy in the world” after 15 months of devastating war that has killed tens of thousands there and laid waste to swaths of the territory.
“I feel very beautiful. We hope that God will complete this joy and that we return to our homes and lands safely. This is the most beautiful joy in the world, thank God,” said Moaz Qirqiz, 46.
“The most beautiful moment will be when we meet the loved ones in north Gaza and when we stand on the soil of our land and our homes even if they were destroyed. These minutes, I feel that I am the happiest person in the world, even though I lost my closest brother and lost my home and all the homes of my family.” Qirqiz has been living with his family near the central town of Deir al-Balah after being displaced early in the conflict from his home in the north of Gaza.
Like many others, Qirqiz, who ran an electrical appliance store in the northern town of Jabaliya, where there has been intensive recent bombardments and clashes, said he was worried that the ceasefire would break down.
“I am afraid that things will turn upside down and that we will return to what we were like during the war and return to the suffering of loss and destruction once again,” he said.
Jamal Zaki Murad, 69, was more hopeful. “I am very optimistic about the agreement and hope we can return to living like other people,” he said. “We have had enough suffering and loss. We have lost so much time, time that has passed from our lives. I lost everything in this war – my granddaughter, part of my family, and my home. Nothing remains.”
The last hours in Gaza before the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel came into effect resembled the preceding 15 months of war: full of fear, anxiety and violence. What was new was the hope that an end to the suffering was near.
Israeli strikes continued up to and beyond the initial deadline for the start of the ceasefire after Hamas were late in providing the names of the three hostages it would release later on Sunday in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners. Gaza’s health ministry said several people were killed early Son unday in the north of the territory.
The war has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. An estimated 12,000 are buried under rubble, humanitarian workers in Gaza said.
In Gaza City, shortly after the deal was initially meant to go into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.
But as it became clear the hostilities were continuing, the joy gave way to desperation for some.
In Deir al-Balah, an AFP journalist saw dozens of Palestinians gathered in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital seeking information about the unfolding events, particularly whether or not they would be able to return to their homes.
“I’m dying of despair,” said Maha Abed, a 27-year-old displaced from Rafah who had been waiting since dawn for her husband to pick her up and take her home. “He called to tell me we won’t be returning today. The drones are firing at civilians.”
“Enough playing with our emotions – we’re exhausted,” she added.
The Israeli army warned Gaza residents early Sunday not to approach its forces or Israeli territory. The UN fears chaotic scenes as huge numbers try to reach their former homes.
The army’s spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on Telegram: “We urge you not to head towards the buffer zone or IDF forces for your safety.
“At this stage, heading towards the buffer zone or moving from south to north via Gaza Valley puts you at risk.”
The conflict has led to the repeated displacement of most of the pre-war 2.3million population of Gaza.
Umm Abdullah, 40, who has been living in a tented encampment on the coast near al-Mawasi for months, said she had been too anxious to sleep.
“I was counting the hours and minutes, but at the same time I put my hand on my heart for fear that we would die in the last minutes of the war. So everyone stayed in their tents until the ceasefire is done. Now the atmosphere is like [during the Muslim festival of] Eid.”
Thaer Al-Masri, 41, from Beit Lahia, said he could not describe his feelings. “Should we grieve, rejoice,or cry over what has happened? The only real emotion we feel is pain and loss – the loss of our home, our friends, and our city.”
Abdullhah said: “This week I didn’t know myself, first I was happy and then I was sad. Now I am so sad that we will not return to what we were before the war and the lives we lost will not return.
“I do not see any victory in this war. Our only victory is to get out of it safely. We lost a lot of people and relatives. I lost 12 members of my family. My sister and her entire family, her youngest daughter was only eight days old. My biggest fear is that the deal will fail.”
The deal, agreed after a year of intensive mediation by the US, Qatar and Egypt, sets in motion a long and uncertain process. Negotiations on the far more difficult second phase of the ceasefire should begin in just over two weeks.
The Hamas-run police began deploying in public after mostly lying low for months due to Israeli airstrikes. Gaza City residents said they had seen them operating in parts of the city, and an AP reporter in Khan Younis saw a small number out on the streets.
Major unresolved questions now loom over Gaza’s future. Reconstruction – if the ceasefire reaches its final phase – will take several years at least. It may take 30 to 50 years to rebuild, according to some estimates. There is still no agreement on who will govern Gaza after the war.
Tented camps now stretch across what were once beaches and fields. Almost all the territory’s basic infrastructure – power cables, sewers, water pipes – has been destroyed along with much of its health care system. Aid workers describe some former busy cities as “moonscapes”.
