Gazans Celebrate Ceasefire with Tears of Joy and Grief

"I am happy, yes, but I am crying—these are tears of joy," said Ghada, a mother of five who was displaced from Gaza City during the 15-month-long conflict. Speaking from a shelter in Deir Al-Balah, she expressed cautious optimism. "We are being reborn. With every hour of delay, Israel conducted a new massacre. I hope it is finally over now," she told Reuters via a chat app.

In Khan Younis, youth beat tambourines, blew horns, and danced in the streets just minutes after hearing the news of the ceasefire agreement reached in Doha, the Qatari capital. While the deal has not yet been formally announced, it is reported to outline a six-week ceasefire and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The agreement also involves the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

Despite the sense of relief, many expressed mixed emotions, as joy was often tempered by deep grief. Ahmed Dahman, 25, spoke of the pain of losing his father in an airstrike on their house last year. "The first thing I will do when the ceasefire begins is recover my father's body and give him a proper burial," he said. "I feel happy because lives are being saved, but also worried about what we'll face when we return—our homes destroyed, my father still buried beneath the rubble."

Dahman’s mother, Bushra, added, "While the ceasefire won't bring my husband back, at least it may save other lives. I will cry, like never before. This brutal war didn't give us time to mourn."

Iman Al-Qouqa, who now lives in a tent with her family, described her feelings as a blend of shock and relief. "This is a day of happiness and sadness, of shock and joy," she said. "We lost not just friends, relatives, and homes, but our city. Israel sent us back in history with this brutal war."

For Al-Qouqa, the end of the violence is just the beginning of a new struggle. "It is time for the world to come back to Gaza, focus on Gaza, and rebuild it," she urged.

Since Israel's invasion of Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israeli communities, which killed 1,200 soldiers and civilians and took more than 250 hostages, the conflict has devastated the coastal enclave. With over 46,000 people reported dead by Gaza's health ministry and vast areas reduced to rubble, the path to recovery seems long, yet for many, this ceasefire offers a fragile hope.