The people of Gaza and Israel dare to hope when the ceasefire takes effect

Sounds of celebration replaced the sounds of explosions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as a fragile ceasefire took effect after 470 days of war, allowing some hostages to return home to Israel, the Palestinians detained in Israel were released and Gazans were evacuated to a safe place. search for what’s left of their house.

Under the terms of the hard-won deal, fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas rebels stopped at 11:15 a.m., raising hopes of a more permanent end to the war that left The Middle East fell into a state of fear and instability.

The first hostages – three women captured when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 – were released shortly afterwards. Early Monday morning, Israel’s prison authority said it had released 90 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel, where they were met by excited family members.

At the same time, increased aid deliveries – more than 630 trucks in one day – arrived in Gaza.

Happy Palestinians honked car horns and played music in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah, where children ran and jumped in the streets. Israelis also celebrated as hostages began to return, while worried families expected more hostages to be released.

But underlying the relief is the understanding that this ceasefire lasted only 42 days and released only a few hostages, and that major diplomatic hurdles lie ahead if it is extended. Israel and Hamas reached an agreement in part by postponing their most intractable disputes until a vague “second phase” that neither side is certain will reach.

Almost immediately after the bombs stopped falling, masked gunmen and uniformed Hamas police emerged from their hiding places and appeared on the streets of Gaza. The show of force was unmistakable, demonstrating that even after Israel’s overwhelming military campaign to destroy Hamas, the militant group remains the dominant force among Palestinians in Gaza.

On Saturday night, as a ceasefire approached, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded both enemies and allies that the first phase of the agreement was only temporary and that Israel could still return to fight if the negotiations at the next stage of the agreement. The ceasefire was broken.

Mr. Netanyahu, whose coalition is bitterly divided by the ceasefire agreement, said in a televised address: “We have the right to return to the war, if necessary, with the backing of the United States.” Ky”.

Yet despite the worries of the following weeks and months, Sunday still had its moments of joy.

One of the freed hostages, Emily Damari, could be seen smiling and leaning out the open truck window as she was transported to Sheba Hospital in Tel Aviv. The last time Ms. Damari was seen free was 15 months ago, when she was kidnapped from her home on a kibbutz in southern Israel. She was shot in the arm and driven away in her own car, a militant at the wheel.

A photo of Ms. Damari released by the Israeli military on Sunday showed her still smiling despite losing the two middle fingers on her left hand. According to footage released by the Israeli government, all three hostages were later reunited with their relatives, who cried and hugged them tightly after more than a year of separation. Their parents, siblings and friends fought in an international campaign for their freedom.

Under the terms of the deal, Hamas will gradually free 33 hostages, and in return Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli prisons, some of whom are serving life sentences. because of brutal attacks against Israelis. Ninety of them – all women and minors – will be released on Sunday.

Friends of the three hostages released on Sunday danced, sang and waved Israeli flags in the air as they gathered at the hospital’s helipad. Gal Kubani, 28, a friend of Ms Damari, said she was “overjoyed” at the news of her release and “proud of Emily for surviving this madness”.

In Gaza, celebrations were tempered by grief. According to Gazan health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, more than 46,000 Palestinians have died in Israel’s military campaign. Vast areas of land lie in ruins and many displaced people have no home to return to.

As soon as the fighting stopped, waves of displaced Palestinians began moving north, anxious to see if any part of their homes was still standing.

Many said they were determined to begin reclaiming the lives they once knew, despite the huge level of destruction across the region. “The joy of returning home is overwhelming but mixed with sadness,” said Ahed al-Okka, 52, a construction worker from Gaza City.

For others like Suhaila Dawaas, a displaced Gazan who said she lost eight relatives in the war, grief has overshadowed any hope for the future. Her house was nearly destroyed, although she hoped to find a few reminders of the life her family once had in the ruins.

Ms. Dawaas, 55 years old, a mother of eight, said: “I cannot say I am happy about this ceasefire agreement. “After all that, what are we left with? After the endless loss, the devastation, the pain?”

Videos taken by drones in Gaza show people scattered across the wasteland. Crowded residential areas in Gaza have turned into crumbling concrete slabs, and roads have become dusty. With countless bodies still trapped under the rubble, members of the Gaza Civil Emergency Services began work.

The war began after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, Israel said, and taking 250 hostages. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza but about a third are believed to be dead.

Israel and Hamas have both preserved some of their bargaining advantages. At the end of the first phase of the ceasefire, Hamas will still have about two-thirds of its hostages. And Israel will still occupy parts of Gaza and hold major prisoners, including Marwan Barghouti, a militia leader and iconic Palestinian political figure.

According to Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations humanitarian office in the Palestinian territories, on Sunday, United Nations trucks carrying humanitarian aid began entering Gaza just 15 minutes after ceasefire is in effect. Months of lawlessness and humanitarian shipping restrictions have taken place reduce aid to a trickle.

Two convoys carrying ready-to-eat foods and flour arrived in the area on Sunday, one passing through Kerem Shalom southeast of Gaza and another point in the north, according to Martin Penner, spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program. The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks to be allowed to bring aid to Gazans every day, although it is unclear how the goods will be distributed.

The ceasefire has caused deep rifts in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ruling coalition.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right national security minister, resigned in protest against the cabinet and withdrew his Jewish Power party from the coalition on Sunday. The Religious Zionist Party, led by Bezalel Smotrich, has suggested it could do the same unless Netanyahu continues the fight after the initial truce. If it does so, Netanyahu’s government would hold less than half the seats in the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, which could ultimately force the government to collapse and force new elections.

Teams of diplomats representing both President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump played a key role in brokering the ceasefire, and both men took credit for it on the penultimate day of the Mr. Biden is in office.

In his speech in South Carolina, Mr. Biden defended his steadfast support for Israel, against the advice of some who warned him that it could draw the United States into a broader war. “Abandoning the path I am pursuing will not lead us to a ceasefire like today,” he said.

Report contributed by Adam Rasgon, Nathan Odenheimer, Ephrat Livni, Johnatan Reiss, Gabby Sobelman, Myra Noveck, Vivian Yee, Fatima AbdulKarim And Yen Trang.