Crowds of Palestinians chanted and embraced as news spread that a ceasefire and captive release agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in the Palestinian territory.
Mediator Qatar announced the agreement on Wednesday, but Israel warned that several points “remained outstanding” and that it hoped they would be finalized soon.
But celebrations were already underway in Gaza, with crowds of people hugging and taking photos to mark the announcement.
“I can’t believe this nightmare of over a year is finally coming to an end. We lost so many people, we lost everything,” said Randa Sameeh, a 45-year-old displaced person from Gaza City to the Nuseirat camp in the center of the territory.
“We need a lot of rest. As soon as the truce begins, I will go to the cemetery to visit my brother and members of my family. We buried them in the cemetery of Deir el-Balah, without proper graves. We will build new graves for them and write their names on them.
Outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, where so many war victims were hospitalized, hundreds of Palestinians gathered to chant, sing and wave flags.
At one point, a member of the crowd and a reporter in body armor stood on people’s shoulders to conduct an interview above the mass of delighted Palestinians.
As an ambulance made its way through the crowds to reach the hospital, smiling men and women chanted “Allahu akbar,” or “God is greatest” in Arabic, and waved the Palestinian flag.
Young children, some appearing confused by the commotion, also gathered outside the hospital, crowding between adults and watching them give interviews to waiting media.
A group of young boys in the center of the crowd sang a popular chant in support of the resistance while adults filmed the moment on their phones.
In Gaza City, Abdul Karim, 27, said: “I feel joy, despite everything we have lost. »
“I can’t believe I will finally see my wife and two children again,” he added. “They went south almost a year ago. I hope they will allow the displaced to return quickly.
Large crowds also gathered in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with young men riding on each other’s shoulders, beating drums and clapping.
The deal announced Wednesday is expected to end fighting in the devastated Palestinian territory and allow the release of prisoners held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The Israeli war in Gaza has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and injured 110,265 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during attacks carried out by Hamas that day and more than 200 were killed. been captured.
