After 15 months of war, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect on Sunday, January 19. While Gazans initially celebrated the truce, their relief was quickly tempered by the devastation awaiting them at home.
Jomaa Shadi, a resident of northern Nuseirat, returned to inspect his home and was met with heartbreak.
“The halting of the bloodshed is an indescribable feeling. I thank God that I survived this war safely. But when I returned to my home, I found nothing but destruction and ruin,” Shadi said.
Drone footage released by the United Nations on Sunday showed vast destruction in the Safatawi area of northern Gaza. Bombed-out neighborhoods stretched as far as the eye could see as displaced residents began to trickle back.
According to medical officials in Gaza, over 47,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict. The nearly 2.3 million residents of Gaza have been left homeless, with infrastructure reduced to rubble. On the Israeli side, 400 soldiers have reportedly lost their lives.
The terms of the ceasefire call for a cessation of fighting, the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the release of 33 of the nearly 100 Israeli and foreign hostages over the initial six-week phase. In exchange, Israel is to free nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners held in its jails. Many of the hostages are believed to have died during the conflict.
For now, while the truce has brought a much-needed pause to the violence, the path to recovery remains daunting. The extensive devastation, combined with the immense humanitarian crisis, underscores the challenges ahead for those returning to a shattered Gaza.
