Hopes rose across Gaza on Tuesday that the war that has devastated the territory, killing more than 46,000 and displacing millions, was finally over.
Amid widespread reports that Hamas and Israel were in the “final stages” of agreeing a ceasefire agreement, residents of the embattled territory expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future but pain and grief for the past 15 months.
“I am optimistic and very happy … [but] I wish I could go back to Rafah, to my life and my school,” said Ibrahim al-Aker, an 11-year-old from Rafah, who has been displaced seven times, lost 70 members of his family and was badly injured by a bullet earlier this year.
Muhammad al-Hallaq, 31, said he was “living in an atmosphere of joy, mixed with feelings of fear.”
Since the war began after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, there has been only one pause in the 15 month conflict – a 10 day truce in November 2023 – and previous reports that a ceasefire deal was close have repeatedly proved premature.
“I am really worried that I will be disappointed this time again like so many times,” said Hallaq, from Gaza City’s al-Daraj neighbourhood.
Hallaq said that his apartment had been badly damaged and his phone store destroyed.
“Gaza is now a devastation, it has become uninhabitable … but I will stay … I will not leave, and I will not accept resettlement anywhere else. I hope peace will prevail here and that this grief will end soon.”
The US, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate a deal that would stop fighting, allow desperately needed aid to reach Gaza and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas in its surprise attack into Israel that killed about 1,200 people– mostly civilians – and triggered the conflict. About 100 are still held inside Gaza, although Israeli officials believe at least a third them are now dead.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has reduced large areas of the territory to rubble and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of whom are at risk of famine. Around two-thirds of of the people killed were civilians, according to local health authorities and the UN.
Tented camps now stretch across what were once beaches and fields. Almost all the territory’s 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”.
“This war was never just about bombing,” said Wadiha al-Attar, 37, who lost 30 relatives in the conflict. “It’s also been about starvation, lack of food and clothing, and the complete absence of mental peace. Let them end the war, open the crossings, let food come in, and allow us to see our beloved ones and return to northern Gaza! Let them rebuild our houses after they were completely destroyed.”
“This war has been truly devastating. It has scorched everything, leaving no mercy for the people, the trees, the stones and even the animals. No one was spared. There were no homes untouched by sorrow and grief, whether in the north or south of Gaza. Everyone has lost loved ones, family and friends,” said Attar, who fled north Gaza to the southern city of Khan Younis.
Fighting in Gaza has continued in recent days despite reports of an imminent ceasefire.
Two Israeli airstrikes overnight Monday-Tuesday in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah killed two women and their four children, who ranged in age from one month to nine years old. One of the women was pregnant and the baby did not survive, according to al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, which received the bodies.
Another 12 people were killed in two strikes on the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European hospital there.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas of hiding among civilians in health facilities, shelters and tent camps for the displaced.
Five Israeli soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb that targeted their convoy in the north of Gaza on Monday.
Many civilian casualties are believed to be buried under rubble. A ceasefire will be an opportunity for at least some of Gaza’s displaced to return to former homes to search for the many thousands who are still missing.
It is still unclear who will run Gaza after the end of the war, and who might pay for the reconstruction. Just clearing rubble would take a fleet of 100 lorries 15 years to clear Gaza and cost between $500m (£394m) and $600m, a UN assessment earlier this year found.
“I really hope that someone takes charge of law and order be imposed, and that the chaotic situation we have had through the war is ended,” said Hallaq. “I don’t care who runs Gaza, but I hope that it will be run by Palestinian businessmen and technocrats who have extensive experience and contacts and can impose their authority.”
Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power, and that it will retain security control over the enclave after the fighting ends. It has also rejected administration of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority, the western-backed body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that exercises limited sovereignty in the occupied West Bank.
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but efforts to find alternatives to the main factions among civil society or clan leaders have proved largely fruitless.
There have been discussions between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US over a provisional administration that would run Gaza until a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge. Palestinian officials and western diplomats said yesterday that this was the most likely scenario if a ceasefire is concluded and holds.
“The feeling is very mixed, but the overwhelming feeling is the joy of the end of death and our return to our natural life, which will take many years to restore,” said Youssef Balousha, a 53-year-old photographer from Gaza City.
