Palestinians Return to Gaza’s Ruins as Ceasefire Brings Brief Relief
By Kamal Yalwa TrendBrio News
Published: October 11, 2025
Hundreds of displaced Palestinians have begun returning to what remains of their homes across Gaza following a ceasefire that temporarily halted Israel’s two-year war on the enclave.
Rescue teams spent Saturday recovering bodies from beneath the rubble, with the Palestinian news agency Wafa reporting that at least 135 bodies were found across Gaza. The discovery came as aid groups and survivors re-entered destroyed neighborhoods for the first time in months.
Dozens more victims were recovered from hospitals in Gaza City, Nuseirat, Deir el-Balah, and Khan Younis. Medical officials confirmed that 19 more people were killed in Israeli air strikes on Friday before the truce took effect at noon local time.
Returning to the Ruins
As Israeli troops withdrew from some areas and Gaza’s main coastal road, al-Rashid Street, reopened, tens of thousands of displaced residents began a slow, painful return.
Al Jazeera correspondents described emotional scenes of “families, children, and elderly people with donkey carts and vans loaded with belongings” heading toward Gaza City to pitch tents where their homes once stood.
“This return is historic, but it must be followed by real steps to ease the humanitarian crisis,” said journalist Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Nuseirat.
Months of relentless bombardment have left Gaza City in ruins — with no electricity, running water, or intact infrastructure. “There’s an urgent need for makeshift shelters and tents,” added Moath Kahlout from Deir el-Balah. “People are walking back into the unknown.”
Defiance and Resilience
Despite the devastation, many Palestinians insist on going home.
“I’m returning to Gaza City even though there’s nothing left,” said Naim Irheem, who lost his son and saw all his daughters wounded. “We’ll live in a tent if we must — but we have to go back.”
Others echoed the same spirit of defiance. “We want to see our homes, even if they’re gone,” said Aisha Shamakh, whose family was buried under collapsed floors during the early days of the war. “After everything, this ceasefire brings us a little joy.”
Journalists on the ground described “exhausted faces filled with both grief and hope” as families searched the wreckage. Some, like Mohammed Sharaf in Sheikh Radwan, returned only to find nothing but dust and debris.
“Everything has changed,” he said. “We left for days, now we’ve come back to nothing.”
A People Refusing Erasure
Even amid despair, the return of thousands to Gaza’s shattered neighborhoods is a powerful act of resilience.
“For generations, Palestinians have shown remarkable strength under occupation,” said Kahlout. “Each step back is both a return — and a declaration of hope.”
