Ceasefire Takes Hold: Palestinians Begin Returning to Northern Gaza Amid Israel’s Troop Withdrawal

Published: 10 September 2025. The English Chronicle Online

After months of relentless warfare and humanitarian catastrophe, a glimmer of respite has emerged in Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas officially takes effect. For the first time since the conflict reignited in October 2023, thousands of Palestinians have begun to make their way back to the devastated northern regions of the Strip, following Israel’s announcement that its forces have withdrawn to agreed lines under the newly brokered truce.

The ceasefire, approved by the Israeli government and built upon the framework of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace and hostage deal, sets into motion a fragile yet critical 72-hour window in which Hamas is expected to release all remaining Israeli hostages. In return, Israel is set to free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The deal, if sustained, could mark the beginning of the end of one of the most devastating phases in the long and bloody history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

As the guns fall silent, the human cost of the war is laid bare. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 17 people were killed in Gaza in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 67,211 since the conflict erupted nearly two years ago. An additional 71 people were injured, with hospitals still struggling to function amid shortages of medicine, power, and medical personnel.

Across northern and western Gaza City, residents are returning to scenes of staggering destruction. Whole neighbourhoods such as Sheikh Radwan, al-Karama, and Beach Camp have been levelled, with vast stretches of residential areas reduced to rubble. Civil defence officials report that rescue teams are still digging through debris with minimal equipment, searching for survivors or the remains of loved ones. Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, confirmed that at least eight bodies were recovered on Friday morning alone.

For displaced families, the journey home is both heart-breaking and necessary. “My house was destroyed a year ago, and I was living in a tent on its ruins,” said Alaa Saleh, a teacher who fled to Khan Younis with his wife and six children. “Now that the road may reopen, I will return and pitch my tent again. We are exhausted from living in shelters that cannot protect us from heat or cold. We just want to rebuild our lives.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the nation shortly after the truce took effect, declared that Israel will “act to locate all the kidnapped and fallen as soon as possible.” He acknowledged facing “enormous pressure from both inside and outside,” but insisted he had “firmly rejected” calls to abandon the ceasefire deal. The prime minister described the coming days as “momentous,” noting that this year’s Simchat Torah holiday, which coincides with the ceasefire deadline, could become a “day of national joy” as hostages return home.

Currently, Hamas is believed to be holding 48 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to still be alive. The ceasefire agreement mandates that these remaining hostages be released by noon local time on Monday. Their release, expected to be facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, will reportedly occur without public ceremonies to avoid politicization or further tensions. In exchange, Israel will release approximately 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and more than 1,700 detainees from Gaza.

The Red Cross has pledged full logistical and humanitarian support during the process. “Our teams in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank are ready to help return hostages and detainees to their families,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. “The coming days are critical. This agreement offers a vital chance to save lives and ease suffering.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations and global humanitarian organizations are preparing to flood Gaza with much-needed aid. Around 600 aid trucks are expected to cross into the Strip daily in the coming days, carrying food, fuel, medical supplies, and hygiene products for more than two million displaced people. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher noted that the first priority will be to deliver high-nutrition food, restore hospitals, and provide essential anaesthetics and painkillers. “We need the guns to go silent and the ceasefire to be implemented fully,” he said. “Rebuilding Gaza’s health system will be a massive challenge, but it must begin immediately.”

Still, uncertainty looms large. While Israeli forces have reportedly completed the initial stage of withdrawal—retreating to positions giving them control over 53% of Gaza—residents and aid workers have expressed concern that sporadic airstrikes continued into the early hours of Friday morning, even as the ceasefire took hold. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that they “will continue to remove any immediate threat” from their updated deployment lines.

For civilians on both sides, the emotional toll is immense. In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, families of captives gathered to pray and share cautious optimism. Meirav Leshem Gonen, whose daughter Romi was freed in an earlier truce, described the emotional strain of the ordeal. “Nothing can prepare you for having your loved one return from captivity,” she said. “They come back changed, and so are we. But now I’m waiting for the moment when all of them come home.”

In Gaza, the feeling is mixed with hope and fear. Walaa, a mother of three from Gaza City who recently gave birth, told the BBC she feels “positive energy” following the announcement. “I hope the war ends quickly,” she said, though she admitted the sound of nearby troop movements “terrifies the heart.”

As Palestinians cautiously walk back through the ruins of their city, the path ahead remains uncertain. Whether this ceasefire endures or collapses under the weight of mistrust and unfinished negotiations will determine not just the immediate fate of Gaza’s two million residents, but the broader trajectory of Israeli-Palestinian relations for years to come.

For now, Gaza’s people cling to the fragile promise of peace amid the ashes of war, their steps northward marking both a return to ruin and a quiet act of resilience.