A joy mixed with mourning. “Thank God the war is over”sends Ahmad on WhatsApp a few minutes after the entry into force of the ceasefire, which took effect on Sunday January 19 at 11:15 a.m. locally, almost three hours after the agreed time, while Hamas was slow to send a list of hostages for “technical reasons”. Three interminable hours for the millions of Palestinians who have been holding their breath since the announcement, Wednesday January 15 evening by Qatar, of a truce agreement between Israel and Hamas. After 472 days of war, the toll on the Palestinian side stands at at least 46,913 dead and 110,750 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. More than 10,000 people, trapped under the rubble, are still missing.
“The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrivedsays Ezzeddine Lulu, a fifth-year medical student, in a video posted on Instagram. We have suffered everything that a human conscience can suffer. We have all lost loved ones, friends, colleagues. We lived in terror of bombs and drones haunting us day and night, without a single moment of peace. »
“I can’t realize that I’m going to see my friends”
“I can’t describe my joy today. I am waiting for the ceasefire to take effect to be sure that we are truly done with this nightmare and this terrorsays Leïla, a 26-year-old young woman and mother of a little girl, contacted by WhatsApp. She feared yet another false alarm, while in recent months, ceasefires, on the verge of being concluded on numerous occasions, have not seen the light of day. “I can’t believe we’re going to be able to go home.”exults the one who is today displaced to Deir Al-Balah, in the center of the Palestinian enclave, after a long wandering.
Exclusive scenes of the return of citizens to northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/kDLOdYAJxm
– Bilal Nezar Rayan (@BelalNezar) January 19, 2025
“No matter where I look, I burst into tearsconfides Ahmad, 34, injured in an Israeli bombing a year ago. I can’t realize that I will be able to see my friends, the people in my neighborhood and my house, even if it has been partially destroyed. »
From dawn, even before the truce came into effect, thousands of displaced Palestinians in charge of their affairs took the road, amid the destruction, to return to their homes, in the north or south of the strip. of devastated Gaza. On board vans or on foot, some all smiles make the V for victory, others share sweets or brandish the Palestinian flag. However, faces pale in front of the apocalyptic landscape of rubble that the northern part of the ravaged enclave has become. Of the Jabaliya camp, the scene of several Israeli army operations, not one stone remains. Already, in the street, Palestinians are hurrying and starting to clear the rubble.
“We don’t know what awaits us”
“The most important thing is that the blood stops shedding and the war is overputs Ahmad into perspective, who heard the buzz of Israeli F-16s flying over the blue sky of Gaza until the last minute. Of course, I will go back, but maybe not right away… I will wait a bit and advise based on the security and humanitarian situation, because a lot of people will arrive at once. » “We don’t know what awaits usestimates Mohammed, father of six children, originally from Jabaliya, in a voice note sent by WhatsApp. May God continue to help people in what they are going through, may he give their hearts the patience to mourn the victims, live alongside the injured, resettle in ruined houses, without water or electricity, or even in the street. »
It is now time to take stock and mourn. “I lost my wife, two children, a brother, a sister, 45 nieces and nephews. This suffering remains and will accompany me for the rest of my days”sighs Motasem Dalloul, a journalist who has remained in Gaza City since the start of the conflict. “It is time to extract my family members from the rubble and give them a dignified burial”announces Ezzeddine Lulu. And to hope that the ceasefire, which is very fragile, will hold and lead to lasting peace.
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