Displaced Palestinians returning to their homes in Gaza City this week found a devastated landscape after 15 months of conflict, with many seeking shelter among the ruins and searching for missing relatives amid the chaotic return.
Once a bustling urban hub, Gaza City in the north of the enclave now lies in ruins, with large sections reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardments, leaving piles of debris and shattered concrete at every turn.
“Look at this scene, there is nothing to say,” said a man named Abu Mohammad as he searched for a place to stay. “People will sleep on the ground. There is nothing left.”
Many returnees, carrying the few personal belongings they had managed to keep after months of displacement, had trekked more than 20 km (12 miles) along the coastal highway to reach the city.
“I am waiting for my father, mother, and brother. We lost them on the way,” said Jameel Abed, who walked from central Gaza. “We found some lights here, and we are waiting for them,” he added.
“There is no car, no tuktuk, no donkey cart—nothing that could move on this road.”
By late Monday, Gaza’s Hamas authorities reported that over 300,000 people—almost half of those displaced from the north during the war—had crossed into Gaza City and the northern edge of the enclave from areas in the south.
As those who had already arrived searched for places to settle, tens of thousands more continued their journey north, even as mediators began initial preparations for the second phase of ceasefire negotiations, set to commence next week.
Three more Israeli hostages are scheduled to be released by Hamas on Thursday, with another three expected on Saturday. In return, scores of Palestinian prisoners will be freed from Israeli jails, with some heading into exile.
In Cairo, a high-level Hamas delegation, led by Mohammad Darwish, head of the group’s leading council, held discussions with Egyptian mediators. In a statement, Hamas said they welcomed 70 Palestinian prisoners who had arrived in Cairo ahead of their relocation to third countries willing to host them.
According to Hamas and other sources, these nations include Qatar, Turkey, and Algeria.
Later on Tuesday, Hamas announced that its delegation had also met with Egyptian officials to discuss alleged Israeli violations of the truce and ideas for achieving national unity with the rival Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The talks included an Egyptian proposal to establish a governing committee for post-war Gaza.
Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, and Abbas’s Palestinian Authority, which holds influence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, have long remained politically divided, weakening broader Palestinian aspirations for statehood.
NEGOTIATIONS
Under the terms of the ceasefire—brokered this month with mediation from Egypt and Qatar, and supported by the United States—33 hostages are set to be released over a six-week truce in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences in Israeli jails. So far, seven hostages and 290 prisoners have been exchanged.
The next phase, due to begin by Tuesday, will determine the fate of more than 60 remaining hostages, including men of military age. It will also address the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
If successful, the process could lead to an end to the war and open discussions on rebuilding Gaza, which has been largely devastated by Israel’s military campaign. According to Palestinian health authorities, nearly 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict.
The war began after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel killed 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 hostages being taken, according to Israeli sources.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure from hardliners within his government, who oppose advancing to the second phase of negotiations, arguing that Hamas should be completely defeated rather than remaining in power.
However, Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said the group expected the negotiations to proceed as planned.
“We are ready to begin negotiations for the second phase at the specified time and are confident that Netanyahu has no choice but to proceed with the second phase,” he said.
The long-term future following full implementation of the ceasefire remains uncertain. Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas will not be allowed to maintain control over Gaza. Meanwhile, a recent call by U.S. President Donald Trump for Palestinians in Gaza to be relocated to Egypt or Jordan—strongly rejected by regional leaders and Palestinian officials—has further complicated the outlook.
