Palestinians in Gaza are already packing up their meagre belongings in the hopes of returning to their neighbourhoods once the ceasefire begins, reports Al Jazeera.
In Gaza City, Souad Warshaga, who was displaced from the north of the enclave, said she felt “extremely happy”.
“We are preparing our belongings to go back to our areas and neighbourhoods that we miss so much,” she said. “We can’t wait till tomorrow when the ceasefire agreement will officially come into force. I want to be among the first people to leave here and go back to our home.”
Latifa Qashqash, another displaced woman, echoed the sentiment.
“I am happy because I will go back to my area and original places,” she said.
“I am also scared. Because I don’t trust the Israelis. I am sad as well because of the loss of our loved ones and our property. We will leave a tent here to live in a tent there.”
After more than a year of devastating war, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is set to begin on Sunday, pausing the 15-month conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip.
The deal is the most significant breakthrough in the war, but its implementation is complex and fragile. It requires cooperation between Palestinian militant groups, the International Red Cross, the Israeli military, mediators from multiple countries and an Israeli government whose coalition is starting to fray as hard-line ministers express their disapproval.
The pause has lifted spirits in Gaza, where 90% of the population has been displaced by Israel’s punishing ground and air bombardments, and vast swaths of the territory reduced to rubble.
Israeli forces killed more than 46,788 Palestinians and wounded 110,453. It would see the release of 33 captives held in Gaza over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
