Gazans and Israelis dare to hope as ceasefire catches fire.

After 470 days of war, the implementation of a fragile cease-fire allowed the return of some hostages to Israel, the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, and the displacement of Gazans. Find what’s left of their home.

Under a painstaking deal, fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas militants ended at 11:15 a.m., raising hopes of a more lasting end to a war that has plunged the Middle East into fear and uncertainty.

The first hostages – three women taken when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 – were soon released, and as the danger subsided, a reinforced supply of aid began crossing border checkpoints and heading in the opposite direction. On Monday morning, the Israelis announced the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Jubilant Palestinians blare car horns and music as children run through the streets of Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. Israelis also celebrated as the hostages began to return, with distraught families still waiting for others to be released.

But the source of relief is knowing that this phase of the ceasefire will only last for 42 days and will only release a limited number of hostages, and that if it is extended, they can expect major diplomatic setbacks. Israel and Hamas have reached a partial agreement, putting an end to their most intractable disputes until a tense “second phase” that neither side is sure to reach.

As soon as the bombs stopped falling, masked gunmen and police in Hamas uniforms came out of hiding and appeared on the streets of Gaza. The show of force was unequivocal, showing that after a massive Israeli military campaign to eliminate Hamas, the terrorist group remains the dominant Palestinian force in Gaza.

On Saturday night, as the ceasefire neared, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned enemies and allies that the first phase of the accord was temporary and that Israel could still return to war if it reached the next phase of negotiations. The ceasefire is broken.

Mr Netanyahu, whose coalition is deeply divided over the ceasefire, said: “If necessary, we reserve the right to return to the war with the support of the United States.” He said in a televised address.

Still, despite all the stress in the coming weeks and months, there were times of joy on Sundays.

One of the freed hostages, Emily Demari, was seen smiling and leaning out of the car’s open window as she was taken to Tel Aviv’s Sheba Hospital. Ms. Demari was last seen free 15 months ago when she was taken from her home in a kibbutz in southern Israel. She was shot in the arm, and driven away in her own car with a gunman in her vehicle.

A picture of Ms. Demari, released by the Israeli army on Sunday, showed her smiling but missing two middle fingers on her left hand. Footage released by the Israeli government shows that all three hostages were later reunited with their relatives after more than a year apart, crying and holding them tightly. Their parents, siblings and friends campaigned internationally for their freedom.

Under the deal, Hamas will gradually release 33 hostages, in exchange for Israel to release more than 1,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, including life sentences for brutal attacks on Israelis. The nineties – all women and minors – were to be released on Sunday.

Friends of the three hostages who were freed on Sunday danced, sang and waved the Israeli flag as they gathered in the hospital helipad. A friend of Miss Demari’s, Gal Kubani, 28, said she was “thrilled” at the news of her release and “proud Emily survived this madness”.

In Gaza, the celebration was marred by sadness. Gaza health officials do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, saying more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations. Large areas have been devastated, and many evacuees have no homes to return to.

Soon after the fighting stopped, displaced Palestinians began heading north, anxious to see if parts of their homes were still standing.

He said that many people in the area were determined to restore the lives they knew despite the massive destruction. “The joy of coming home is amazing, but it’s mixed with sadness,” said Ahed al-Oka, 52, a construction worker from Gaza City.

Like Suhaila Dawas, an displaced Gazan who says she lost eight relatives in the war, grief has overshadowed all hope for the future. Her home is mostly destroyed, although her family hopes to find a few mementos of their once lived lives in the ruins.

Mrs Dawes, a 55-year-old mother of eight, said: “I can’t say I’m happy with this deal. “After everything, what are we left with? After endless loss, destruction, suffering?”

Drone videos taken over Gaza show people walking across the desert. Gaza’s dense neighborhoods have been reduced to pancake slabs of concrete, its streets turned to dust. With an unknown number of bodies trapped in the rubble, members of Gaza’s civil emergency services were called into action.

The fighting began after Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. About 100 hostages are still in Gaza, although a third are believed to be dead.

Both Israel and Hamas have maintained some of their negotiating efforts. At the end of the first phase of the truce, Hamas still held two-thirds of the hostages. And Israel still occupies parts of Gaza, and holds key prisoners, including militant leader and prominent Palestinian politician Marwan Barghouti.

Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Aid in the Palestinian Territories, said on Sunday that UN trucks carrying humanitarian supplies began entering Gaza 15 minutes after the ceasefire began. Months of lawlessness and restrictions on humanitarian access have reduced aid to fraud.

“Two convoys of ready-to-eat food and wheat flour entered the region on Sunday, one in southeast Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing and the other through the northern crossing,” UN spokesman Martin Penner said. Gazans are allowed to bring in, although it is not known how the supply will be distributed.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, families and friends awaited the release of the first of 90 Palestinian prisoners from Israel’s Ofer prison. Some in the outcry thought the releases would actually happen.

“The people are very tired, and their emotions are mixed with sadness for Gaza,” said taxi driver Zuhair Youssef. “So we’re waiting until the last minute.”

The cease-fire agreement has already opened up serious rifts within Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership coalition.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givir resigned from the cabinet in protest and pulled his Jewish Power party out of the coalition on Sunday. The Religious Zionist Party, led by Bazal Smotrich, has suggested it may take similar action unless Mr. Netanyahu continues the war, which would leave Mr. Netanyahu’s government with less than half of the seats in the Knesset. Israel’s parliament could eventually topple the government and force new elections.

Both President Biden and President-elect Donald J. A group of diplomats representing Trump played a key role in coordinating the cease-fire, and both men were recognized on Mr. Biden’s final day in office.

In a speech in South Carolina, Mr Biden defended his unwavering support for Israel, following some advice that he warned could plunge the US into a wider war. “Abandoning the course I took would not have led to the ceasefire we are seeing today,” he said.

Reporting contributed by Adam Rasgon, Nathan Odenheimer, Euphrates Livni, Jonathan Reis, Gabby Sobelman, Mira Novec, Vivian Yeh, Fatima Abdul Karim And Yan Zhuang.