Gaza ceasefire: Netanyahu vows to return to war if necessary

Palestinians afraid of what future could bring

As the ceasefire approaches, hundreds of thousands of Gazans hope to return to what remains of their homes.

Hanaa Dabban, a nurse who was displaced from the Jabalia refugee camp, said the first thing she wanted to do was return to her home in northern Gaza.

“We are going through the hardest days of our lives and of this war,” the 24-year-old told DW by phone from Gaza. “We are waiting for the ceasefire on Sunday. I don’t know what that day will bring, but I am afraid of what lies ahead — afraid that I will not find our home in Jabalia camp, from which we fled under fire. The details of that moment will stay with me forever.”

On Saturday evening, the Israeli military warned displaced people not to approach certain areas where the military is still present, including the Netzarim corridor, which divides southern and northern Gaza. The military presence there does not allow movement between the two areas.

This is only one of many obstacles. Much of the small Palestinian territory has been destroyed and many will have no home to return to. But Dabban is determined to return home.

“We’ll set up our tent there, and I hope to find a wall to lean my back against,” Dabaan said.

But she also acknowledged that there is still a long way to go: “Gaza and the north will be crowded again, but it will never be the same as it was before the war. Not everyone we lost will return, and our mental state will never fully recover.”

This was echoed by Mahmound Tawil, who was displaced to Deir al-Balah. He and his family were displaced from the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City.

“I have been waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said. “Yes, I will return to al Shati camp, but not on the first day — I don’t know how dangerous the road will be. I know our house was destroyed in the first days of the war, but I will return with my wife, four children, my mother, sisters and brothers.”

But Tawil said he is also worried about the future.

“The war is not truly over,” he said. “The killing continues, and I don’t know if the bloodshed will end after the ceasefire. We are no longer the same people. While I am relieved that the war is ending, I am heartbroken over what has happened, why it happened, and how long it will take for us to rebuild our lives. All we want is security, peace, justice, and a decent life — nothing more.”

Hostages’ relatives see glimmer of hope on eve of ceasefire

As they have for every Saturday night for almost 15 months, hundreds of people gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence to demand the release of the hostages in Gaza. Some held posters of the 98 remaining hostages taken during the Hamas terror attack on southern Israel on 7 October. Most had taped stickers on their jackets with the number 470 — the number of days the hostages have been held in captivity.

But tonight, there was a glimmer of hope that finally, by tomorrow evening, the first hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

“We’ve been here every Saturday night, it’s better than staying at home alone in this difficult situation,” Inbar told DW, declining to give her last name. Her partner, Eshel, added: “We’re really unsure of what’s going to happen. We just crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, trying to stay optimistic, but that’s all we can do right now and just stay together.”

Marc Glassman, another protester, said he hoped as many hostages as possible would be freed.

“We just hope, and we care about the hostages,” he said. “It’s a harder experience than I want anybody to go through.

“We also hope that there is a way to get to a better place for the people on the other side, for the Palestinians,” Glassman said. “But we don’t think that Hamas running Gaza is going to lead to peace in the long term. And that’s a great failure of our government. We don’t have plan for the day after.”

Many here fear that some hostages to be released in the second phase of the ceasefire deal may be left behind. According to the current agreement, the second phase is to be negotiated from day 16. Still, some Cabinet ministers in Netanyahu’s government have already said they won’t support negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

“That’s what we’re scared about, if they don’t go to a second phase. I think that’s the next political struggle. We have to protest for them to go all the way into a deal and to bring them all home, and to respect all the agreements. Because if it doesn’t happen, some of the hostages will remain back there,” said Michael, holding a sign with the names of Kfir and Ariel Bibas, two young children who were taken hostage with their parents in Gaza.

He said he knows one of the hostage families well and has come to the nearly every week to protest.

“I’m anxious. I think we all are anxious because a lot of things can go wrong. And if things go wrong, people will sadly die or be harmed,” he added. “But still, I feel it’s important to show everyone that we’re here supporting an agreement to save lives, to save the hostages, to save the people in Gaza as well. And to end this war once and for all and bring some justice to this land.”