Gazans welcomed the cease-fire – and grief for all those lost.

Hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets around Gaza on Sunday, honking car horns and cheering the start of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Other people who fled the south packed whatever belongings they had for the long journeys home – or headed north with what was left. Many were anxiously awaiting news of their former surroundings when they arrived home from their first relatives and neighbors.

Riyad al-Gharali, 64, said he had not slept as he and his family waited to see if the ceasefire would go into effect as planned. He spent Sunday morning watching the clock and listening to the occasional gunshots and gunshots from the city’s eastern borders – hoping that the long-awaited peace would not cause any problems.

“The wives here cried all night,” Mr. Al-Gharbli said, his voice breaking.

In Gaza City, members of the Palestinian Civil Defense Group – which carried out rescue operations in response to Israel’s daily attacks during the war – poured into the streets to celebrate and boarded ambulances waving Palestinian flags.

In Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, cars honked and loud music blared from coffee shops.

For many, the time was filled with conflicting emotions. But there were also great losses due to the conflict that devastated the state and its people.

Many people said they were determined to restore the lives they once knew, despite the devastation in the area.

“The joy of coming home is amazing, but it’s mixed with sadness,” said 52-year-old Ahmed Al-Oka.

Mr. Al-Oka, a construction worker in northern Gaza City, has spent much of the past year living in a tent on the streets of Deir al-Bala, a town in central Gaza. He plans to return home on Sunday, hearing he is partially injured but still standing.

But even if the family is able to repair one room, that’s enough for now, he said.

For others, the decision to rebuild war-torn lives has been overshadowed by the grief and suffering of more than 15 months of conflict.

“I can’t say I’m happy about this reconciliation,” said Suhayla Dawas, a 55-year-old mother of eight who was displaced from Beit Lahia in the north to central Gaza. “After all, what are we left with—after endless loss, destruction, pain?”

Ms. Dawas said several of her relatives were killed in Israeli airstrikes. Her home was mostly destroyed, and her family hopes to find a few mementos of the life they once lived in the ruins — perhaps in photo albums — when she returns home.

She says she is grieving more than what was lost. She added that as people try to rebuild their lives, the future of her children and the problems that define Gaza’s next chapter are still grieving.

“We’ve spent our whole lives building homes for our children, and now, we’ve lost a lot,” Ms Dawes said. But, he said, “I’m grateful that the survivors now have a chance to find some peace.