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Marrakech – Palestinians are returning to the ruins of Gaza City following the implementation of a ceasefire between Hamas and the far-right Netanyahu-run Israel that took effect Friday. More than half a million displaced people have made their way back to the northern part of the Strip, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency.
“More than half a million people have returned to Gaza City since yesterday,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defense operating under Hamas authority.
Many returnees were left in complete shock upon discovering the extent of devastation across Gaza City. Countless Palestinians walked for hours only to find their homes reduced to rubble, their neighborhoods erased, and their memories buried under mountains of concrete and twisted metal. The emotional trauma of seeing years of life and belongings obliterated was overwhelming for many.
The civil defense agency reports that 9,500 people remain missing under the rubble across Gaza. Rescue teams have already recovered the bodies of 155 people since the ceasefire began, but they lack adequate resources and equipment to retrieve all bodies.
A manager at northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital said that 45 bodies pulled from the rubble in Gaza City had arrived over the past 24 hours.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)’s genocidal campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,682 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. More than half of the dead are women and children, confirming the genocidal nature of Israel’s assault.
US troops have arrived in Israel to oversee the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, with more expected to follow. About 200 American soldiers will establish a coordination center aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid flow and providing logistical support.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Gaza alongside the US military’s Central Command head Brad Cooper to confirm the first phase of IOF withdrawal, though officials stressed no US troops would enter Gaza itself.
Under the ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, Hamas will release 47 remaining hostages – both living and dead – from those abducted during its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In exchange, Israel will release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 Gazans detained since the war began.
Israel has already published the list of prisoners to be released, though it excludes several high-profile Palestinian figures that Hamas had demanded, including the popular politician Marwan Barghouti. Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, told Al Jazeera that the group insists on the release of Barghouti and is in discussions with mediators.
The 72-hour deadline for Hamas to release the hostages ends Monday morning. Meanwhile, the IOF has withdrawn from several areas but still maintains control over 53% of the Gaza Strip.
Humanitarian relief struggles amid Gaza’s fragile truce
Aid agencies are preparing to bring vital supplies to starving Palestinians as part of the agreement. The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs says Israel has given approval to deliver 170,000 tonnes of aid under a response plan for the first 60 days of the truce.
“The most basic necessities are still urgently needed in Gaza: medical equipment, medicines, food, water, fuel, and adequate shelter for two million people who will face the approaching winter without a roof over their heads,” said Jacob Granger, Gaza coordinator for Doctors Without Borders.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says it has enough food stored to feed every Palestinian in Gaza for three months, but questions remain about its ability to deliver aid due to an ongoing Israeli ban on its activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“We’ve got enough food to feed everyone for between two and three months, and the population is starving. We’ve got shelter items for hundreds of thousands of people, blankets for over a million people,” said Sam Rose, UNRWA’s director of affairs in Gaza.
The mayor of Khan Younis governorate reports that 85% of the southern area has been levelled by Israeli attacks. He added that some 400,000 tonnes of rubble must be removed before any reconstruction work can begin.
Trump’s 20-point plan aims to end the current war in stages, delaying contentious issues such as Hamas disarmament and Israel’s continued occupation of Gaza. If completed, the first phase would be followed by negotiations over later stages, which could prove difficult due to various points of contention.
As Palestinians return to what remains of their homes, many are setting up makeshift tents on the rubble. Despite the ceasefire, the humanitarian catastrophe persists with famine and disease spreading throughout the devastated enclave.
Read also: Morocco Welcomes Ceasefire Agreement for Gaza, Appreciates Trump and Mediators’ Efforts
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