As news of a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke late Wednesday, thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip didn't back down: They poured into the dark, bombed-out streets, cheering, singing, Cry and fire shots into the sky in celebration.

But for most, the joy that has gripped Gaza is mixed with grief over the death, destruction and horror of the devastating 15-month war - the deadliest in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - that is coming to an end. Together, and realizing that their lives can never be restored. Same again.

“People are very happy,” said Shifa al-Ghazali, a Gaza City mother of four who lost her husband, mother, brother and two uncles in the war. "Even though I'm in pain, I'm (also) optimistic."

“We have lost everything, including our loved ones, but now is the time to stop this flow of blood,” said Nidaa Aita, a businesswoman who lives with hundreds of thousands of displaced people on the windswept beach. tent city. In the coastal Al-Mawasi region.

"My house in Gaza City was bombed and destroyed, but I'm happy to go back and live in the ruins. I can't believe we can finally go home. I've been displaced 14 times."

Gazans have been living under intense Israeli siege and bombardment since Hamas launched an attack on the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, which officials said killed 1,200 people, a plight that has caused concern around the world repercussions.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military bombings and ground incursions, according to officials, and many have yet to come to terms with the tragic loss of multiple family members.

With much of Gaza reduced to rubble, some 1.9 million of the besieged enclave's 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many multiple times. Gaza health authorities said there were thousands of uncountable bodies under the rubble.

Most of the displaced have sought refuge in Mawasi, an area designated by Israel as a "humanitarian zone" but still occasionally the target of deadly Israeli fire.

At the camp known as "Orphan City" - a camp in Mawasi for families whose breadwinner was killed - organizer and teacher Mahmoud Kalah said news of the ceasefire had been welcomed by people. Cheers, people cheered.

"People are happy that this nightmare is over . . . but mixed with it is a deep sadness. Because once the war is over, new bloodshed will begin - pain and loss," Karak said. "Here, everyone is suffering the same pain, everyone has lost a father or a mother . . . But when people start returning home, the real loss and pain begins."

After consulting with the families at the camp, which houses about 3,000 people, Kalach said they decided to keep Orphan City open because many people had nowhere to go.

Mohammed is a 14-year-old boy in another camp whose parents were killed in Israeli bombings. "We want the war to end so we can go on with our lives and do normal things," said Mohammed, whose leg was amputated as a result of a wartime injury. "I personally want to play football."

The truce is set to begin on Sunday with an initial six-week ceasefire that is expected to eventually bring relief to both sides. Israelis hope this will lead to the release of all 98 remaining hostages held in Gaza since October 7, the deadliest day for Jewish deaths since the Holocaust.

For Gazans, this is an opportunity to begin addressing the enclave's disastrous humanitarian situation. There has been no electricity since the war began, and the medical system has collapsed under frequent attacks by Israeli forces, which say Hamas militants are holed up inside the hospital.

Israel's restrictions on aid convoys have also led to severe shortages of fuel, food and warm clothing, and U.N. officials say many people, especially in the isolated north, have been on the brink of famine for months. As part of the deal, Israel must allow 600 trucks of humanitarian aid into the strip every day.

Yet this catharsis is fraught with deep uncertainty about how much relief Gazans can expect. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday postponed a cabinet meeting to ratify the deal after coming under pressure from far-right members of the coalition who opposed the deal.

Once the ceasefire comes into effect, negotiators still need to hammer out a second phase of the deal (and possibly even a third phase) that would permanently end the war and theoretically secure the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip.

Israel also stepped up its bombardment of the strip ahead of Sunday, with Palestinian health authorities reporting on Thursday that 77 people had been killed and about 250 wounded in attacks since the ceasefire was announced.

Across Gaza, a massive reconstruction effort awaits, with millions of tons of broken concrete littered with unexploded bombs that will take years to clear, U.N. officials say.

Om Ahmed, a mother of three who lives with her husband in Al-Mawasi, was displaced from Jabalia. Jabaliya, once a bustling northern town of 200,000 people, has been reduced to rubble by Israel's ongoing military campaign since October. Although her home is no longer there, she plans to return.

"They said there would be tents or caravans for us to live in," she said. "We don't know if the situation will improve, if we will stay safe, or if something bad will happen. Only God knows. It is difficult here because we have no money, but now only peace is the most important."

Writer Fedaa Zeyad, who was displaced with her family from Gaza City, said she too was looking forward to returning to the north to search for any mementos of her late mother among the ruins of her home.

Zayad also hopes to reunite with her sister, a doctor who she said is currently under siege by Israeli forces in a hospital in northern Gaza. “After seeing my loved ones, all I wanted to do was sit on the beach and watch the ocean,” she said. "My biggest hope right now is that this nightmare will be over."

Aditi Bhandari Graphics