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Many are eager to stop the bloodshed, displacement and destruction Palestinians Felt relieved to hear this news in Gaza israel And Hamas Agreed to end their devastating two-year war. But it was mixed with the pain of a shocking loss and the anxiety of what would happen next.
Ibrahim Shurrab of Khan Yunis said, “Once we heard the news about the ceasefire, we were happy.” “we ask God May there be happiness for us and for our Palestinian people and may we return to our homes despite the pain and suffering,” he said, speaking in Muwasi, an area filled with tents sheltering Palestinians who were forced to flee their homes.
Nevin Cuddihy said it was the greatest relief he had felt since the war broke out two years ago. She said, she will be even happier when she can return home.
“We’re living on the streets.”
The Israeli offensive on Gaza, launched in response to a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, has killed thousands of Palestinians and caused massive destruction, displacement and suffering in Gaza. The war also caused famine in some parts of the region.
In Deir al-Balah, some children welcomed the news with whistles, applause and celebrating “Allahu Akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”.
Mahmoud Wadi said he received the news with “immense joy and indescribable feeling.”
Others in the Gaza Strip were dealing with mixed emotions.
“I’m happy and sad,” Mohammed al-Fara said. “We have lost too many people and lost loved ones, friends, relatives and homes that are much more than stones and physical buildings,” he said.
That said, one can’t help but wonder what the next day will look like — or where to begin picking up the pieces. “The situation is very difficult.”
But he said that they will overcome future difficulties in the same way as they have been doing.
Taghrid al-Jabali, displaced from Khan Yunis, shared mixed feelings.
He lamented the killings and losses in the past two years, saying, “We don’t know whether to be happy or sad.”
He said, “Our sons and daughters did not get education. An entire generation was ruined. Not just one, but two generations were destroyed. May God compensate us.”
Mohammed al-Nashar of Gaza City said people feel “very alert” and “we are afraid of what is to come.”
He is concerned that the ceasefire could be violated at any time, saying that Israeli attacks continue to occur in areas where the army is still operating.
Some were skeptical that Israel would follow through on any agreement, but they were hopeful.
Explosions were seen in northern Gaza on Thursday morning as Israeli attacks continued. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attacks, but said earlier in the day that it had begun preparations for the implementation of the ceasefire and that troops planned to move to “adjusted deployment lines.”
Israel and Hamas have agreed to end their war and release the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of whom are believed to survive, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Uncertainty remains about some intriguing aspects of the plan put forward by US President Donald Trump – such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will rule Gaza. But both sides appear closer to ending the war than in previous months.
In the Gaza Strip, where much of the territory is in ruins, Palestinians have been desperate for a breakthrough. Thousands of people fleeing Israel’s latest ground offensive have set up makeshift tents along the beach in the central part of the area, sometimes using blankets for shelter.
In their 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed about 1,200, mostly civilians. Most of the hostages have been released under ceasefire or other agreements.
Gaza’s health ministry says the death toll in Palestine has risen to more than 67,000. The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says about half of the dead were women and children, is part of the Hamas-run government. The United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimates of wartime casualties.
“We are the people who suffer from the injustice of the (Israeli) occupation and the injustice of the war,” said Samir Moammar, displaced from Rafah. “Education has stopped. People’s lives have stopped.”
He said he prayed to God for an end to war and bloodshed.
“The occupation has returned us to the Stone Age,” he said. “We pray to God to complete this happiness and return the people to the way they were before.”
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The family reported from Cairo. Toka Ezzedine in Cairo contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war