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As dust settles on all that’s left Gaza Strip, Palestinians Starting a long journey to reclaim what is left of your life.
Thousands have made the long journey north since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect last week unable to recognize anything similar Their old neighborhood.
A prisoner-hostage swap took place before Donald Trump’s address to the Israeli Knesset on Monday, as the US president celebrated his peace deal with applause.
At a gathering place in central Ramallah, relatives, supporters and members of the Palestinian security forces waited for news of buses. Release 1,966 Palestinian prisonersThe last 20 surviving Israeli hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7 attacks two years ago were also returned to their families.
“It’s a very beautiful feeling – a happy day,” father Muhammad Hassan Saeed Dawood, 50, told the BBC. His son was arrested by Israeli forces at a checkpoint. “We call it a national holiday, that despite the cost of the war, the martyrs, the wounded and the destruction in Gaza, our captives are being released.”
Amid the huge crowd, Wasim Amar of Kalkia waited for his father, who was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a resident in 2003.
She said, “I can’t describe the feelings; it’s like a dream. I can only believe it when I see it.” Independent in tears. The family has not had any information about him for more than two years. While talking, Amar’s mother got a call saying that he was coming from Ofer.
“We hope to live a better life in the future with our father – a father is the foundation of any family. We hope and pray to God that this brings real peace.”
Palestinian families told Independent Soldiers had raided the homes of relatives on the eve of the prisoners’ release and warned them not to celebrate.
Overnight, Israeli ministers approved a final list of 1,718 Palestinians detained through October 7, 2023 – including women and 22 children – and 250 prisoners serving life sentences to be released as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Reuters reported that 154 would be deported. israel The bodies of 350 Palestinians are also to be handed over, which they are keeping with them since 2023.
Those likely to be deported include Iyad Abu al-Rab, who was arrested in 2005 for killing Israeli soldiers in Jenin.
His cousin Abdulrahman told Independent Therefore the happiness of the family is “incomplete”. He has not been allowed to meet Iyad in jail since 2021.
Israel was pressured to release high-profile prisoners including Marwan Barghouti, Often referred to as the “Palestinian Mandela” as a symbol of good faith. He has consistently topped surveys among Palestinians as the person they would vote to lead them as a nation. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to release Barghouti.
After months of reports of starvation and chaotic scenes at food aid centers in Gaza, the situation appears to be improving, albeit slowly. Footage of aid being distributed was broadcast over the weekend, showing lots of food being cooked in some community kitchens.
Reports suggest that 600 aid trucks may be allowed to arrive on a daily basis, which is still less than enough for the needs of the population according to humanitarian agencies. Some local businesses and markets reported prices falling between 70 and 80 percent.
For Hamza Ibrahim, now 24, and spoke first Independent In 2023, The ceasefire is bittersweet. He had recently left Gaza to take up a scholarship in journalism in Ireland. All of his relatives live in the Strip, and he is the first in his family to leave the country.
According to Save the Children, more than 90 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed.
Now that the bombing has stopped, his feelings are mixed. “When the ceasefire was announced, my parents called me,” he said. Independent. “They said: ‘You survived. We’re very proud of you.'”
However, for many, grief is taking over, as thousands reflect on the horror they have lived through.
“Although people are happy, they also feel sad. They think: ‘Where do we go? What if the ceasefire doesn’t hold?’ We can only see destruction. I feel as if I am leaving hell and entering heaven. I can see from the outside what I’m going through and I realize how bad it was. Gaza is like a prison. There is no food, no water, no electricity.”
According to the Palestinian Authority, more than 92 percent of the houses and 62 percent of the hospitals in Gaza have been destroyed, with only 14 of the 36 present at the beginning of the war functioning to some extent. At least 1.9 million people, representing 90 percent of the population, have been displaced.
Palestinian health officials say more than 68,000 people have been killed, 83 percent of whom were civilians, according to IDF figures. Guardianresearch by British Medical Journal Civilians were shown to suffer worse injuries than combat personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At least 250 bodies have been recovered from beneath the debris since the ceasefire took effect, although the number is expected to rise dramatically. Local people said that their children are sleeping through the night for the first time, as they are not disturbed by air strikes, drones and explosions.
But Clashes between groups have already started According to sources, in Gaza, some of which are supported by the Israeli occupation. Journalist Saleh al-Jafarwi, 28, and 26 others were killed in fighting that began after the ceasefire.
Amidst the relief and essentially endless grief, there is also deep suspicion, especially among those based in the West Bank.
Issa Amro, a Palestinian activist, featured in Louis Theroux the settlers The documentary says that many Palestinians are extremely uncertain about the future of the territory.
“It is very important that the killing stops,” he said. Independent. “But we have deep doubts about whether it will last. Will Israel respect the agreement. They have broken all of them so far. The genocide is not over. People are still dying because of lack of food and medicine.”
And now, there are serious fears for the West Bank. He said, “When the war ends in Gaza, it begins in the West Bank.” “Remember, this is a ceasefire plan, not a peace plan.”
He also reiterated the importance of “accountability” for what happened in Gaza – several organizations have accused Israel of war crimes, which the country denies.
An arrest warrant was issued for Benjamin Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court, charging that he and his then-Defense Minister Yoav Golant had committed the war crime of starvation.
A two-year United Nations investigation concluded that Israel was committing genocide, a claim Israel described as “false and distorted”.
A UN report suggests it could take up to 350 years for Gaza to return to its pre-2023 economy, and decades to clean up the more than 50 million tonnes of debris left behind by the devastating war.