Palestinians celebrate ceasefire agreement but fear facing grief

Palestinians in Gaza celebrated a ceasefire and hostage release agreement, but many fear facing grief built up over two years of war.

Umm Hassan, 38, who lost her 16-year-old son during the war, told the BBC: “This morning, when we heard the news of the truce, it brought us joy and pain.”

He said, “Children and adults began screaming with joy.” “And those who lost loved ones began to remember them and wonder how we would return home without them.”

“Everyone who has lost someone feels this deep sadness and wonders how they will get home,” he added.

The deal announced by US President Donald Trump – which Israel’s war cabinet has yet to accept – would see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli prisons and 1,700 Gaza detainees.

It is the first stage of a 20-point peace plan that could lead to an end to the war – although the final stages still need to be negotiated.

Daniel Abu Tabikh, from Jabalia refugee camp, told the BBC: “We, the civilians, are the ones who suffered. We really suffered.”

“The factions do not feel our pain. These leaders sitting comfortably outside have no sense of the suffering we endure here in Gaza.”

“I don’t have a home,” he said. “I have been living on the streets for a year and a half.”

Israel launched war on Gaza in response to Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed, most of them Israeli civilians, and another 251 were taken hostage.

The Israeli attack led to the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in the Strip. Its numbers are considered reliable by the United Nations and other international bodies.

More than 90% of housing in Gaza was damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations.

“May God reward us for our patience,” said Umm Nader Kloub from northern Gaza, who lost seven of her relatives during the war, including her sons.

She added, “God willing, he will help (the negotiators) and allow us all to return to our homes and for their hostages to return safely.” “We don’t want war.”

Musa, a doctor in Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, said: “We have lost a lot during two years of war. The Gaza Strip is destroyed. A difficult time still awaits us, but the important thing is that we hope that we will be safe.”

As news of a potential ceasefire agreement emerged over the weekend, Hossam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, told the BBC: “The worst thing about the last two years is that while you lose your loved ones, your relatives, your friends and your neighbours, you are unable to allow yourself to grieve or feel deep sadness and process your human feelings.”

“Because your main focus is trying to stop what’s happening.”

He added: “When our people and our families were being killed, the feeling was: How do you stop this? How do you bury your dead and how do you take care of your wounds?”

“But after the event, which I hope will be very soon, the main feeling will be sadness, mourning and a deep sense of loss. Because what we have lost is great.”