Even before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was fully in place on Sunday, Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza Strip began returning to what remained of their homes after fleeing during the 15-month-long conflict.
Majida Abu Jarad quickly packed the belongings of her family’s temporary accommodation in the vast Muwasi tent city, located just north of Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
At the onset of the war, her family was forced to leave their home in Beit Hanoun, a northern town in Gaza, where they once spent summer evenings together, gathering around the kitchen table or on the roof, surrounded by the fragrance of roses and jasmine.
That home is now gone, and for the past year, Abu Jarad, her husband, and their six daughters have been forced to move across the Gaza Strip, following one evacuation order after another from the Israeli military.
Aerial footage on Sunday highlighted the destruction in the city of Khan Younis, which bore the brunt of 15 months of fighting.
Israeli bombardment and ground operations have reduced entire neighborhoods in several cities to rubble, leaving behind burnt-out buildings and debris scattered in every direction.
Abu Jarad’s family fled seven times during this period, each time facing new challenges as they crowded into classrooms with strangers, searched for water in massive tent camps, or slept on the streets.
Now, they are preparing to return to whatever is left of their home and to reunite with relatives who stayed behind in the north.
“As soon as we heard about the truce starting on Sunday, we began packing and deciding what to bring, even though we knew we’d still be living in tents,” Abu Jarad said.
The war in Gaza erupted when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking approximately 250 hostages. Around 100 hostages are still held inside Gaza, with at least a third feared dead.
The subsequent Israeli military bombardment has devastated large parts of Gaza, displacing 1.9 million of its 2.3 million residents.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, over 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, with women and children making up more than half of the casualties, though the ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, although it has not provided proof.
Despite the vast scale of the destruction, Palestinians have started returning home. Even before the ceasefire officially began — as shelling continued overnight — many began making their way through the wreckage to their homes, some walking, others pulling belongings on donkey carts.
“They’re coming back to find their loved ones under the rubble,” said Mohamed Mahdi, a displaced father of two, who had to leave his three-story home in Gaza City’s southeastern Zaytoun neighborhood.
Mahdi managed to reach his house Sunday morning, walking from western Gaza. Along the way, he saw Hamas-run police forces deployed in Gaza City, helping returnees navigate the streets.
“Despite all the destruction and uncertainty about rebuilding, people were celebrating,” Mahdi said. “They started clearing the streets and removing the rubble from their homes. It’s a moment they’ve waited for 15 months.”
Um Saber, a 48-year-old widow and mother of six, returned to Beit Lahiya. For safety reasons, she asked to be identified by her honorific, “mother of Saber.”
She spoke by phone, describing how her family found bodies in the street during their journey home, some of which appeared to have been exposed for weeks.
Upon reaching Beit Lahiya, they found their home and much of the surrounding area reduced to rubble. Some families began digging through the debris to find missing relatives, while others attempted to clear areas to set up tents.
Um Saber also discovered that the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the area had been “completely destroyed.” The hospital had been hit several times during Israel’s offensive in northern Gaza against Hamas fighters, whom the Israeli military claims had regrouped there.
In the southern city of Rafah, residents found widespread destruction. Once a hub for displaced families fleeing Israeli bombardment from other parts of Gaza, Rafah now lay in ruins. Some residents found human remains among the rubble.
“It’s an indescribable scene. It’s like something from a Hollywood horror movie,” said Mohamed Abu Taha, a Rafah resident, describing flattened houses and body parts scattered in the streets and rubble.
He shared images of the destruction, including the remains of what used to be his family’s house. “I want to know how they destroyed our home.”
The return of displaced families comes amid uncertainty about whether the ceasefire will hold or if it will be just a temporary break in the fighting. Questions remain about who will govern Gaza and how the area will be rebuilt.
Not all displaced families will be able to return immediately. According to the ceasefire agreement, displaced people will only be able to travel from the south to the north of Gaza via the Netzarim corridor starting seven days into the ceasefire.
Once this is allowed, civilians will be able to cross the corridor on foot without being searched, though vehicles will undergo inspection by a private company agreed upon by Israel and the mediators.
“We hope the ceasefire will last, and be permanent, so that we can return to our homes and our children can go back to school,” said Rami Nofal, a displaced man from Gaza City, now staying in Deir al-Balah.
For those returning home, the wait to rebuild could be long. The United Nations has warned that reconstruction in Gaza could take over 350 years if the Israeli blockade remains in place.
Satellite data from the UN estimated that 69% of Gaza’s structures have been damaged or destroyed, including over 245,000 homes. Even with over 100 trucks working full time to clear the debris, it could take more than 15 years just to remove the rubble.
But for many families, the immediate relief of returning home outweighed concerns about the future.
“We’ll remain in a tent, but the difference is that the bleeding will stop, the fear will stop, and we will sleep assured,” Abu Jarad said.