In a profound and poignant moment of return, thousands of displaced Palestinians have begun the arduous trek back to the shattered remnants of their homes in Gaza, following the implementation of a ceasefire and the start of an Israeli troop withdrawal. This movement, unfolding under the agreement to finally end the recent conflict, saw a vast human column filing north along the coastal road toward Gaza City, the enclave’s heavily damaged urban heart. The scene is one of desolation mixed with desperate hope; as one returning resident noted in the devastated Sheikh Radwan district, “Thank God my house is still standing… But the place is destroyed, my neighbours’ houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone.” The return signals a fragile shift but underscores the immense humanitarian crisis left in the war’s wake, where finding simple resources like firewood from the rubble is a necessity for survival in the moonscape that was once Khan Younis.
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The ceasefire, which officially activated at noon local time, is the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to broker peace between Israel and Hamas. This phase grants Israeli forces a mere 24 hours to pull back from urban areas, though they will retain control over more than half of Gaza. The political landscape remains tense, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserting that Israeli troops will stay in Gaza to ensure Hamas disarms, stating the goal will be achieved either the “easy way” or the “hard way.” This ultimatum directly clashes with Hamas’s swift rejection of any “foreign guardianship” over Gaza, which the militant group insists is purely an internal Palestinian affair. These underlying political hurdles threaten the stability of the accord, even as aid trucks prepare to surge into Gaza and a prisoner exchange is set to take place—releasing Palestinian long-term prisoners for the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
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The agreement, if fully realised, represents the most significant step yet to halt two years of devastating warfare that has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives. However, the future governance of the demolished Gaza Strip and the ultimate fate of Hamas remain critical, unresolved issues within Trump’s broader 20-point framework. The return of Palestinians to the wreckage of their former lives—finding “great joy” simply in being back “over the rubble”—is a powerful human testament to endurance. Yet, the parallel announcements from both sides, with Hamas’s exiled leader claiming guarantees the war is over and Israel’s leader demanding disarmament, highlight the precariousness of this current lull. With Hamas reportedly deploying security forces into areas of Israeli withdrawal, the potential for renewed confrontation over control and sovereignty remains high.
