Thousands of Palestinians return to what's left of their homes as Gaza
ceasefire takes effect
[October 11, 2025]
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinians headed
back to the heavily destroyed northern Gaza Strip on Friday as a
U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect in a deal that raised hopes for
ending the Israel-Hamas war. All the remaining hostages were set to be
released within days.
Questions remain over who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually
pull back and whether Hamas will disarm, as called for in U.S. President
Donald Trump's ceasefire plan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who
unilaterally ended a ceasefire in March, hinted that Israel might renew
its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.
The latest truce nevertheless marks a key step toward ending a ruinous
two-year war that was triggered by Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel. The
fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced
around 90% of the Gaza population of some 2 million, often multiple
times. Many of them will find fields of rubble where their homes once
stood.
The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the
remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be
released by Monday. Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza
earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military's announcement.
Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages
would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.
“If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be
achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively
from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to
agreed-upon lines.
Aid shipments to begin Sunday
Meanwhile, the United Nations was given the green light by Israel to
begin delivering scaled-up aid into Gaza starting Sunday, a U.N.
official said. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to
discuss details not yet made public.
The aid shipments are meant to address severe malnutrition and famine
conditions triggered by Israeli offensives and restrictions on
humanitarian help. The International Criminal Court is seeking the
arrest of Netanyahu and his former defense minister for allegedly using
starvation as a method of war. Israeli officials deny the accusations.
The aid will include 170,000 metric tons that have already been
positioned in neighboring countries such as Jordan and Egypt as
humanitarian officials awaited permission from Israeli forces to restart
their work.
U.N. officials and Israeli authorities have engaged in a series of
discussions in Jerusalem over the last 24 hours about the volume of aid
humanitarian organizations can bring in and through which entry points.
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday that fuel,
medical supplies and other critical materials have started flowing
through the Kerem Shalom crossing. U.N. officials want Israel to open
more border crossings and provide safe movement for aid workers and
civilians who are returning to parts of Gaza that were under heavy fire
until only recently.
In the last several months, the U.N. and its partners have been able to
deliver only 20% of the aid needed in the Gaza Strip, according to U.N.
humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher.
People on the move
A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a
coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might
remain of their homes. It was a repeat of emotional scenes from an
earlier ceasefire in January. Others headed to different parts of the
Palestinian territory in the south.
The destruction they find this time will be even greater, after Israel
waged a new offensive in Gaza City, in the north, in recent weeks. The
military bombed high-rises and blew up homes in what it said was an
attempt to destroy Hamas' remaining military infrastructure.
Palestinians have expressed relief that the war may end, tempered with
concern about the future and lingering pain from the staggering death
and destruction.
“There wasn’t much joy, but the ceasefire somewhat eased the pain of
death and bloodshed, and the pain of our loved ones and brothers who
suffered in this war,” said Jamal Mesbah, who was displaced from the
north and plans to return.
In Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, hundreds of Palestinians
returning to their homes found wrecked buildings, rubble and destruction
after Israeli troops withdrew.
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A displaced Palestinian girl carries a bag on her head as she walks
along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip,
heading toward Gaza City, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, after Israel and
Hamas agreed to a pause in their war and the release of the
remaining hostages. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
“There was nothing left. Just a few clothes, pieces of wood and
pots,” said Fatma Radwan, who was displaced from Khan Younis. People
were still trying to retrieve bodies from under the rubble, she
added.
Many buildings were flattened, and none was undamaged, as people
went back to search for their belongings. Hani Omran, who was also
displaced from Khan Younis, said: “We came to a place that is
unidentifiable ... Destruction is everywhere.”
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on Oct.
7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.
In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have
been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s
Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and
combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United
Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the
most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
The war has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked
worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel
denies.
How the agreement is expected to unfold
Israel is set to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in
exchange for the remaining hostages. A list Israel published Friday
did not include high-profile prisoner Marwan Barghouti, the most
popular Palestinian leader and a potentially unifying figure. Israel
views him and other high-profile prisoners as terrorists and has
refused to release them in past exchanges.
Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official and lead negotiator, said
Thursday evening that all women and children held in Israeli jails
will be freed.
The hostage and prisoner releases are expected to begin Monday, two
Egyptian officials briefed on the talks and a Hamas official said,
though another official said they could occur as early as Sunday
night. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they
were not authorized to be publicly named speaking about the
negotiations.
A relative of one of the Israeli hostages believed to have died in
captivity says the family hopes that his body will be returned for
burial.
“It’s a measured sense of hope in all hostage families,’’ said
Stephen Brisley, whose sister, Lianne Sharabi, and her two teenage
daughters were killed in the Oct. 7 attack.
Lianne’s husband, Eli Sharabi, was eventually released, but his
brother, Yossi, is believed to have died in an airstrike in January
2024. The family hopes to give him a dignified burial.
"We hold our hope lightly because we’ve had our hopes dashed
before," Brisley told The Associated Press from his home in South
Wales.
The Trump plan calls for Israel to maintain an open-ended military
presence inside Gaza, along its border with Israel. An international
force, comprised largely of troops from Arab and Muslim countries,
would be responsible for security inside Gaza. The U.S. would lead a
massive internationally funded reconstruction effort.
The plan envisions an eventual role for the Palestinian Authority —
something Netanyahu has long opposed. But it requires the authority,
which administers parts of the West Bank, to undergo a sweeping
reform program that could take years.
The Trump plan is even more vague about a future Palestinian state,
which Netanyahu firmly rejects.
___
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Lidman from Tel
Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv,
Israel; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece;
Danica Kirka in London; and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed
to this report.
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