Palestinians in Gaza have celebrated the agreement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal - but many fear confronting the grief that has built up over two years of war.
'This morning, when we heard the news about the truce, it brought both joy and pain,' 38-year-old Umm Hassan, who lost his 16-year-old son during the war, told the BBC. 'Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting,' he said. 'And those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and wondering how we would return home without them.
Every person who lost someone feels that sorrow deeply and wonders how they'll return home, he added. The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump - which still must be accepted by Israel's security cabinet - will see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
It is the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that could lead to an end to the war - though the latter phases still need to be negotiated. 'We, the civilians, are the ones who've suffered - truly suffered,' Daniel Abu Tabeekh, from the Jabalia refugee camp, told the BBC. 'The factions don't feel our pain. Those leaders sitting comfortably abroad have no sense of the suffering we're enduring here in Gaza.'
He further shared, 'I have no home. I've been living on the streets for a year and a half.' Israel launched the war in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, when around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed and 251 others taken hostage. Israel's offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
More than 90% of Gaza's housing has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. 'God rewarded us for our patience,' said Umm Nader Kloub from northern Gaza, who lost seven relatives during the war, including her sons. 'God willing, he will help [the negotiators] and allow us all to return to our homes, and for their hostages to return safely,' she added. 'We don't want war.'
The tension of these moments resonates deeply through personal stories and the broader community, demonstrating the profound impact of conflict on human life and emotion.
'This morning, when we heard the news about the truce, it brought both joy and pain,' 38-year-old Umm Hassan, who lost his 16-year-old son during the war, told the BBC. 'Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting,' he said. 'And those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and wondering how we would return home without them.
Every person who lost someone feels that sorrow deeply and wonders how they'll return home, he added. The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump - which still must be accepted by Israel's security cabinet - will see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in return for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza.
It is the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that could lead to an end to the war - though the latter phases still need to be negotiated. 'We, the civilians, are the ones who've suffered - truly suffered,' Daniel Abu Tabeekh, from the Jabalia refugee camp, told the BBC. 'The factions don't feel our pain. Those leaders sitting comfortably abroad have no sense of the suffering we're enduring here in Gaza.'
He further shared, 'I have no home. I've been living on the streets for a year and a half.' Israel launched the war in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, when around 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, were killed and 251 others taken hostage. Israel's offensive has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of whom are civilians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
More than 90% of Gaza's housing has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. 'God rewarded us for our patience,' said Umm Nader Kloub from northern Gaza, who lost seven relatives during the war, including her sons. 'God willing, he will help [the negotiators] and allow us all to return to our homes, and for their hostages to return safely,' she added. 'We don't want war.'
The tension of these moments resonates deeply through personal stories and the broader community, demonstrating the profound impact of conflict on human life and emotion.
