Carrying bags, blankets, and a few salvaged belongings, families walked through the dusty highway under the afternoon sun. Many pushed carts or led donkeys loaded with what was left of their possessions. The smell of debris and burnt metal filled the air as they passed by flattened buildings and streets once full of life.
A fragile calm has returned to the war-torn Gaza Strip for the second day, as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to hold, offering a rare glimpse of hope after two years of relentless conflict.
Along the coastal Al-Rashid Road, which links southern Gaza to Gaza City, thousands of displaced residents could be seen making their way home, or what remains of it.
Carrying bags, blankets, and a few salvaged belongings, families walked through the dusty highway under the afternoon sun. Many pushed carts or led donkeys loaded with what was left of their possessions. The smell of debris and burnt metal filled the air as they passed by flattened buildings and streets once full of life.
“I have mixed feelings, happiness that the bombing stopped, but deep pain at what has happened to our city,” Om Jameel, a mother of four, told Xinhua as she walked northward with her children.
One of her sons, she said, had been injured in the recent Israeli airstrikes and was still recovering. “We just hope this will be the last war we ever live through.”
The return of displaced residents began shortly after Israeli forces withdrew from several urban areas as part of the first stage of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal aimed at ending the conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and devastated much of the enclave’s infrastructure.
Local eyewitnesses said many residents only saw scenes of total destruction upon returning home. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to rubble, while others were left unfit for habitation.
Some people have taken refuge in partially damaged schools and public buildings as they await more stable living conditions.
“We came back just to see what’s left. There is no water, no electricity, no shelter but at least, for now, there are no bombs falling,” Abu Samir Sawalha, a father of six, told Xinhua as he stood before the remains of his destroyed home in northern Gaza Strip.
Looking around at the shattered walls and twisted metal, Sawalha said returning was both painful and necessary.
“Everything we had is gone, our house, our memories, even the small things we used to take for granted,” he said quietly. “But I wanted my children to see that this is still our home, that we will not give up on it. We can rebuild what was destroyed, but we cannot bring back those we lost.”
According to Gaza’s Civil Defense, more than 300,000 displaced residents have returned to the northern parts of the strip over the past 24 hours, despite the near-total absence of temporary shelters.
Spokesman Mahmoud Bassal said his teams continue to work “in extremely difficult conditions” amid severe shortages of equipment and fuel.
Meanwhile, he said rescue teams have recovered more than 150 bodies since the truce took effect on Friday, while around 9,500 people remain missing since the outbreak of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.
He called for modern rescue equipment to accelerate search and recovery efforts. “We continue to work in very dangerous and exhausting conditions,” he said.
Local authorities have urged residents to exercise caution as many areas remain littered with unexploded ordnance and unstable debris.
“We are trying to organize a gradual and safe return of civilians, but debris removal operations are still at an early stage due to limited resources,” Yahya al-Sarraj, mayor of Gaza City, told Xinhua.
The gradual movement of people northward is seen as the first tangible sign that the ceasefire may be taking hold. Yet, uncertainty remains high as both sides accuse each other of minor violations, and doubts persist about how the agreement will be implemented in the days ahead.
Al-Sarraj described the situation as “an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” saying that the war has left “almost every sector of life in ruins.”
“Gaza has turned into a devastated city. Hundreds of thousands of residents live in unbearable conditions, without access to clean water, food, healthcare, or shelter,” he said.
He added most of the city’s infrastructure, including roads, sewage networks, water wells, and power lines, has been destroyed.
“Municipal services are almost completely paralyzed, and health and environmental conditions are worsening by the day,” he said.
The mayor warned that the crisis could worsen with the approaching rainy season. “We are making extraordinary efforts to maintain the minimum level of essential services, despite the lack of fuel, equipment, and external support,” he said, urging international organizations to take urgent action to prevent further deterioration.
In Gaza City, members of Hamas’ internal security apparatus were seen patrolling streets and intersections, wearing uniforms marked “Internal Security – Ministry of Interior.” Some carried light weapons and wore masks.
Abu Mustaga, a Hamas officer, who preferred to keep the name of his family anonymous, told Xinhua that the deployment aimed to “restore order in areas evacuated by Israeli forces” and ensure security in markets and residential zones.
The Israeli military said in a press statement that it had completed its “operational redeployment” across the Gaza Strip as outlined in the ceasefire deal reached in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, which also includes provisions for a large-scale prisoner and hostage exchange.
Following Israel’s redeployment, attention has shifted to implementing the first phase of the prisoner and hostage exchange deal, which is expected to begin on Monday morning.
Under the agreement, Hamas is to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinians serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees held during the war. Israel estimates that 48 of its citizens remain captive in Gaza, including 20 believed to be alive.
However, Palestinian sources said a dispute has already surfaced after Israel reportedly changed the list of prisoners to be released, removing over 100 names, including senior figures such as Marwan Barghouti of Fatah, Ahmad Sa’adat of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and several Hamas leaders.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of “reneging on the agreement” and called on mediators to intervene to prevent its collapse.
According to Hamas sources, the movement and the International Committee of the Red Cross will begin gathering the hostages at agreed-upon points from Sunday through early Monday morning, before their release through the Red Cross on Monday, while the remains of the deceased will be handed over “as much as possible.”
The Red Cross will supervise the process in coordination with an Egyptian delegation visiting Ofer and Negev prisons to verify the identities of Palestinian prisoners slated for release.
Israeli media reported that the handover will take place quietly and that Hamas has been instructed not to hold celebrations or allow media coverage during the process. ■
