Hopes rose across Gaza on Tuesday that the war that has devastated the region, killed more than 46,000 people and displaced millions more, is finally over.

Amid widespread reports that Hamas and Israel are in the "final stages" of agreeing a ceasefire, residents in the area expressed mixed emotions: hope and fear for the future, but also pain and sadness over the past 15 months.

"I'm optimistic and happy... (but) I want to be able to go back to Rafah, to my life and my school," said Ibrahim al-Aker, an 11-year-old boy from Rafah He said he had been displaced seven times. Earlier this year, he lost 70 family members and was seriously wounded by bullets.

Muhammad al-Hallaq, 31, said he was "living in an atmosphere of joy mixed with a sense of fear".

The 15-month conflict has been paused only once since the war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 - a 10-day ceasefire in November 2023 - and there have been repeated reports that a ceasefire was imminent It proved to be too early.

"I'm really worried that I will be disappointed this time like so many times," said Halak, who is from Gaza City's Daraj neighborhood.

Hallak said his apartment was severely damaged and his mobile phone store was destroyed.

"Gaza is now in ruins and has become uninhabitable... But I will stay... I will not leave or accept resettlement elsewhere. I hope there will be peace here and this sadness will soon will end."

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to broker a deal to halt the fighting, allow much-needed aid to arrive in Gaza and secure the release of dozens of hostages captured by Hamas in an attack on Israel. It killed about 1,200 people – mainly civilians – and sparked conflict. About 100 people remain in custody in the Gaza Strip, but Israeli officials believe at least a third are dead.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has reduced large swaths of the territory to rubble and displaced about 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million people, many of whom are at risk of famine. About two-thirds of the dead were civilians, according to local health authorities and the United Nations.

Tent camps now dot what were once beaches and fields. Nearly all of the region's infrastructure - power cables, sewers, water pipes - was destroyed, as was much of the health care system. Aid workers have described some formerly busy cities as "moonscapes".

"This war is not just about bombing," said Wadiha al-Attar, 37, who lost 30 relatives in the conflict. "It's also about hunger, lack of food and clothing and a complete lack of mental peace. Let them end the war, open the crossings, let food in, let us see our loved ones and return to northern Gaza! Let them in our Rebuilding the houses after they were completely destroyed.”

"This war is truly devastating. It has scorched everything and left no mercy for people, trees, stones or even animals. No one has been spared. There is not a single family in Gaza, north or south, that has not been affected by grief and The impact of grief. Everyone has lost relatives, family and friends," said Attar, who fled northern Gaza for the southern city of Khan Younis.

Fighting in Gaza has continued in recent days despite reports that a ceasefire is imminent.

Two women and their four children, ranging in age from one month to nine years old, were killed in two Israeli air strikes on the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah overnight from Monday to Tuesday. One of the women was pregnant, but the child did not survive, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.

Another 12 people were killed in two attacks in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the European Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel says it targets only militants and accuses Hamas of hiding among civilians in medical facilities, shelters and tent camps for displaced people.

Five Israeli soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb while traveling in a convoy in northern Gaza on Monday.

Many civilian casualties are believed to be buried under the rubble. A ceasefire would provide at least some of Gaza's displaced people a chance to return to their former homes in an effort to search for the thousands who are still missing.

It is unclear who will run Gaza after the war ends and who will pay for reconstruction. A UN assessment earlier this year found that clearing Gaza alone would take a fleet of 100 trucks 15 years and cost between $500m (£394m) and $600m.

"I really want someone to take charge of law and order and end the chaos that we experienced in the war," Halak said. "I don't care who runs Gaza, but I want it to be run by Palestinians who have the experience and connections and can exert authority. Businessmen and technocrats manage.”

Israel says it will not end the war, leaving Hamas in power, and will retain security control of the enclave after the fighting ends. It also rejects the administration of Gaza by the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed body established under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago to exercise limited sovereignty in the occupied West Bank.

The international community says Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but efforts to find replacements for the main factions in civil society or tribal leaders have proven largely fruitless.

There have been discussions between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United States to establish an interim government to govern Gaza until the reformed Palestinian Authority can take over. Palestinian officials and Western diplomats said yesterday that this was the most likely scenario if a ceasefire was agreed and sustained.

"It's a complex feeling, but the overwhelming one is the joy of the end of death and our return to natural life, which takes many years to recover from," said Youssef Balousha, a 53-year-old photographer from Gaza City. explain.