Gazans Return to Ruined Homes as Ceasefire Brings Fragile Hope

Post by : Saif Nasser

After two long years of conflict, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has allowed thousands of displaced Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza. The ceasefire, announced early Friday, marks the first stage of a plan promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the devastating war. Yet, while people walked back to the ruins of their neighborhoods, the challenges ahead remain enormous, and the path to lasting peace is still uncertain.

For many families, returning home was both a relief and a shock. Streets that were once filled with daily life now resemble barren landscapes. In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan district, Ismail Zayda, 40, expressed mixed emotions: “Thank God my house is still standing. But the place is destroyed, my neighbors’ houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone.” Similar scenes unfolded in the south, particularly in Khan Younis, Gaza’s second-largest city, where homes were razed during Israel’s recent military offensive.

Among the returning Palestinians was Ahmed al-Brim, a middle-aged man pushing a bicycle loaded with bundles of scrap timber. He explained that the wood was all his family had been able to salvage from their destroyed home, essential for cooking and survival in the coming months. “We went to our area. It was exterminated. We don’t know where we will go after that,” he said. Families like his face an uncertain future amid the rubble and ruins, struggling with the lack of basic necessities.

Palestinian health authorities reported that medical teams recovered 100 bodies from areas now vacated by the Israeli military. While the ceasefire allows for hope, it also highlights the devastating human cost of the conflict. Over the two years of fighting, more than 67,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, and many families remain fractured or displaced.

The ceasefire is part of a broader 20-point peace plan led by President Trump. The first stage requires Israeli forces to pull back from urban areas over 24 hours, though Israel will still maintain control over more than half of Gaza. In exchange, Hamas is expected to release the remaining 20 Israeli hostages by Monday. Israel will free 250 long-term Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 detainees captured during the war. The plan also allows hundreds of trucks per day to bring essential food, medical aid, and supplies into Gaza.

Despite this progress, the future remains fragile. Hamas has rejected the idea of any “foreign guardianship” over Gaza, insisting that governance is a purely internal Palestinian matter. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that Hamas must disarm, “the easy way or the hard way,” signaling that tensions remain high even as troops withdraw.

As families returned home, many could only salvage small belongings, clothing, or essential supplies, often walking silently through streets littered with debris. Mahdi Saqla, 40, described the scene: “Of course there are no homes—they’ve been destroyed. But we are happy just to return to where our homes were, even over the rubble. That too is a great joy. For two years, we’ve been suffering, displaced from place to place.”

The ceasefire also carries international attention. President Trump plans to travel to the Middle East, addressing Israel’s Knesset and meeting leaders in Egypt to hold a summit on Gaza’s future. His plan includes establishing an international Board of Peace, with the goal of overseeing Gaza’s post-war administration. However, the success of this initiative depends heavily on cooperation between the parties, which has been uncertain in the past.

The human toll of the war is immense. Twenty Israeli hostages remain alive in Gaza, 26 are presumed dead, and the fate of two others is unknown. Hamas officials have said recovering bodies may take longer than releasing the living hostages, reflecting the complex humanitarian challenges that remain.

While there is cautious optimism, experts warn that implementing the next phases of the peace plan will be difficult. Questions remain over how Gaza will be governed, how Hamas will disarm, and how communities can rebuild amid widespread destruction. Even with international oversight and aid, the psychological and material recovery for the people of Gaza will take years.

The return of displaced Gazans is a significant moment in a long and painful conflict. It represents hope, resilience, and a longing for normal life. Yet, the ruins they walk through are a stark reminder of the immense work that lies ahead. Families are beginning the slow task of rebuilding their lives, while leaders and international mediators must ensure that the ceasefire turns into lasting peace.

The fragile calm may signal a turning point in the Gaza conflict, but only time will tell whether diplomacy, aid, and reconstruction can provide the safety, justice, and stability that the people of Gaza so desperately need.