Gazans impatiently await ceasefire to take effect

18-01-2025
Mohammed Salim
A child plays among ruins in Gaza. Photo: Rudaw
A child plays among ruins in Gaza. Photo: Rudaw
A+ A-

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Palestinians in tents in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis are eagerly waiting for Sunday when a ceasefire agreement will take effect so they can return to their homes and start rebuilding their lives, after 15 months of a bloody war that took the lives of tens of thousands.

"People are happy and relieved because of the truce and the end of the war. They want to return to their homes,” said Fatima Killab, a Palestinian woman displaced in Khan Younis.

"But I sit here crying, wondering how I can return when my house has been completely destroyed," she added.

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last week after nearly 460 days of war that saw 46,788 Palestinians killed and 110,453 others wounded, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

On Saturday, the Israeli government approved the ceasefire agreement following a six-hour meeting, according to a brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

"We've endured great hardships and pain living in tents. God willing, as soon as the truce takes effect, we'll be able to go to Rafah to get organized," said Saeed al-Qassas, another Palestinian displaced in Khan Younis.

After 15 months of war, many will be returning to ruins where their homes once stood. Gaza's Health Ministry said thousands of people killed in airstrikes are still buried under the rubble.

"The first thing I'll do when I reach Rafah is search for my brother's body. He's been missing for five months," Qassas added.

Under the ceasefire,  33 hostages held in Gaza will be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The remaining hostages, including soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that is still to be negotiated.

Hamas has vowed not to release the remaining hostages unless a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal are agreed upon.

 

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required
 

The Latest

Al-Hol camp in Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Rojava) on December 6, 2021. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP

Iraq repatriates 360 nationals from Syria camp

Iraq on Thursday repatriated an additional 360 nationals from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) as part of efforts to return all Iraqis held in the camp, said the Kurdish security forces (Asayish).