Gaza on Sunday as a fragile ceasefire took effect after 470 days of war, with some hostages returning to Israel, Palestinians imprisoned in Israel being released and displaced Gazans freed. Explosions were replaced by sounds of celebration throughout the district. Look for what was left in their home.
Under the terms of a hard-won deal, fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants ceased at 11:15 a.m., potentially bringing a more permanent end to the war that has plunged the Middle East into fear and uncertainty. I had high hopes that this would happen.
The first hostages, three women captured during a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, were released shortly thereafter. Early Monday morning, Israeli prison authorities announced the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, greeted by excited families.
At the same time, aid deliveries were stepped up with more than 630 trucks arriving in Gaza each day.
In Deir al-Bala, central Gaza, cheerful Palestinians honked car horns, blared music and children ran through the streets. Israelis also celebrated the return of hostages, while their families anxiously expected more to be released.
But underlying this sense of relief was the fact that this phase of the ceasefire would only last 42 days, only some hostages would be released, and that major diplomatic hurdles awaited if the ceasefire was extended. It was my understanding that it was. Israel and Hamas have reached an agreement by postponing their most intractable conflict until a vague “phase two” that neither side is sure will reach.
Almost as soon as the bombing stopped, masked gunmen and uniformed Hamas police officers emerged from their hiding places and appeared on the streets of Gaza. This show of force clearly demonstrated that the militant group remains the dominant Palestinian force in Gaza, even after an overwhelming Israeli military campaign aimed at destroying Hamas.
On Saturday night, as a cease-fire approached, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned enemies and allies alike that the first phase of the deal was temporary and that if talks were reached on the next phase, Israel would It reminded them that they could still return to combat. The ceasefire broke down.
“We reserve the right to return to the war with the support of the United States, if necessary,” said Netanyahu, whose coalition was sharply divided by the cease-fire agreement. he said in a televised speech.
Still, even with all the uncertainty over the coming weeks and months, there was a moment of joy Sunday.
One of the freed hostages, Emily Damari, was seen smiling and leaning out of the open window of the van as she was taken to Tel Aviv's Sheba Hospital. Damali was last seen 15 months ago, abducted from her home in a kibbutz in southern Israel. She was shot in the hand and drove off in her own car with the gunman at the wheel.
A photo released by the Israeli military on Sunday showed Damali missing two middle fingers on his left hand but still smiling. All three hostages were later reunited with their relatives, who had been separated for more than a year, crying and hugging each other tightly, according to footage released by the Israeli government. Their parents, siblings, and friends were fighting in an international movement for freedom.
Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas is to release 33 hostages in stages, in exchange for Israel to release more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Some of them are serving life sentences for brutal attacks on Israelis. Ninety of them, all women and minors, were scheduled to be released on Sunday.
Friends of the three freed hostages gathered on the hospital helipad on Sunday, dancing, singing and waving Israeli flags in the sky. Ms Damali's friend Gul Khubani, 28, said she was “overjoyed” at the news of her release and was “proud of Emily for surviving this madness”.
In Gaza, the celebrations were muted by sadness. More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Vast areas of the enclave are in ruins, and many displaced people have no homes to return to.
Immediately after the fighting ended, waves of displaced Palestinians began heading north, hoping to see if any parts of their homes were still standing.
Many said they were determined to get back to their old lives despite the massive destruction across the enclave. Ahed Al-Okka, 52, a construction worker in Gaza City, said, “I'm very happy to be able to go back to my hometown, but it's also mixed with sadness.''
For people like Suhaira Dawaas, a displaced Gaza refugee who lost eight relatives in the war, grief overshadowed hope for the future. Her home was largely destroyed, but she hoped to find reminders of her family's life among the rubble.
“I can't say I'm happy with this ceasefire,” said Dowas, a 55-year-old mother of eight children. “What will be left of us when all is said and done? After endless loss, destruction, and pain?”
Drone footage taken over Gaza showed people spread out in the wilderness. Gaza's densely populated areas have been reduced to pancake-like slabs of concrete, and roads have been reduced to dust. With countless bodies still trapped under the rubble, members of Gaza's civil emergency services were called into action.
Israel says the war began after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, but about a third are thought to have died.
Both Israel and Hamas have preserved some of their bargaining chips. Hamas will still hold about two-thirds of the hostages at the end of the first phase of the ceasefire. And Israel will continue to occupy parts of the Gaza Strip and hold key prisoners, including militant leader and iconic Palestinian politician Marwan Barghouti.
United Nations trucks carrying humanitarian supplies began entering Gaza on Sunday, just 15 minutes after the ceasefire took effect, said Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Humanitarian Office in the Palestinian Territories. Months of illegal activity and restrictions on humanitarian supplies have led to a slight decline in aid.
Two convoys loaded with ready-to-eat food parcels and flour arrived in the enclave on Sunday, with one passing through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southeastern Gaza and the other carrying ready-to-eat food parcels and flour, UN spokesman Martin Penner said. One is the World Food Program, which arrived at the northern intersection. The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to be allowed daily to transport supplies to Gazans, but it is unclear how supplies will be distributed.
The ceasefire has already caused deep rifts within Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition government.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir resigned from his cabinet on Sunday in protest and withdrew his Jewish Power party from the coalition. Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist party has indicated it may do the same unless Mr. Netanyahu continues the war after an initial ceasefire. That would reduce Netanyahu's government's parliamentary seats by more than half. Israel's parliament could eventually topple the government and force new elections.
A team of diplomats representing both President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump played a major role in brokering the ceasefire, with both giving credit to Biden on his penultimate day in office.
In his remarks in South Carolina, Biden defended his unwavering support for Israel, ignoring the advice of some who have warned it could draw the United States into a broader war. “If I had abandoned the course I was on, we would not have reached the ceasefire we have today,” he said.
Report contributor: Adam Rathgon, natan odenheimer, Efrat Livni, Jonathan Rees, Gabby Sobelman, Myra Novec, Vivian Yee, Fatima Abdulkarim and Yang Chuan.
