As a cease-fire took place Sunday in Gaza, potentially ending the longest and deadliest war in a century of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two men used the same metaphor to describe how they felt.
“The weight on my chest has been lifted,” said Ziad Obeid, a Gaza civil servant who was displaced several times during the war. “We have survived.”
“The rock in my heart has been removed,” said Dov Weissglas, a former Israeli politician. “We want to see the hostages home, period.”
But — both men also had a “but” — Mr. Obeid has not seen his destroyed home in northern Gaza for more than a year. How bad, he wondered, is the damage? And who will rebuild a decimated Gaza?
Mr. Weisglas worried about the situation of the hostages who are to be gradually released in the coming weeks from the dark quarters in the region. And he grimaced about exchanging them for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for attacks on Israelis. “There is relief,” he said, “wrapped in caution, fears and concern.”
It was an apt summary of the mood on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide on Sunday, as Israelis and Palestinians expressed mixed feelings of jubilation.
For the Palestinians, the truce is theoretically expected to provide at least six weeks without strikes in Gaza. This offers a window for Gazans to take tentative first steps towards rebuilding. to find relatives still buried in the ruins. and to come to terms with the killing of more than 45,000 people, civilians and fighters, whose bodies have already been counted by the Gaza health authorities.
For the Israelis, the deal allows for the gradual release of at least 33 of the hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7, 2023 raid on Israel — an attack that killed up to 1,200 people and prompted Israel’s devastating 15-month response. For the hostages released alive, this means freedom after 470 days of captivity. For Israelis in general, many of whom are wracked by a form of survivor’s guilt, it offers special catharsis.
But the details of the deal between Israel and Hamas mean both sides still face considerable uncertainty about how the next six weeks will play out, let alone whether the tentative deal will later become permanent. Even the first phase began hours late on Sunday morning, amid arguments over which hostages would be released in the afternoon. During that time, according to Gaza authorities, Israeli strikes killed and wounded even more people.
The Palestinians remain unclear on the fates of several thousand Gazans held unconditionally during the war who may not be released in the upcoming exchanges. Rima Diab, a housewife in central Gaza, still has no way of locating her husband, a horse trainer, who she said was taken for questioning to Israel in December 2023 and has never been heard from since.
“I am relieved that the bloodshed is coming to an end, but my heart aches,” said Ms. Diab. “His absence is unthinkable.”
A few dozen miles away, Mr. Weisglass feared for the fate of some 65 hostages who may not be freed from Gaza if the deal collapses after six weeks. He worried that many of the original 33 hostages to be freed in the next 42 days may be emotionally or physically scarred or even dead. And he lamented the cost of their freedom, which will be gained in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of major terrorist attacks, as well as teenagers who have never been charged.
Palestinians see the soon-to-be-released prisoners as freedom fighters. For Israelis, it will be a psychological blow to see “this stream of killers unleashed,” Mr. Stained glass.
Videos of Hamas fighters triumphantly emerging from hiding were also a blow to Israelis, who had hoped the war would completely destroy the group’s military capabilities. For many Gazans, it was a sight to be celebrated, but for others, it was a reminder of the lingering uncertainty over Gaza’s future governance.
Mr. Obaid works for the Palestinian Authority, which lost power to Hamas in Gaza 18 years ago but still employs some civil servants, including Mr. Obeid. He said he was working with the authority’s leaders in the West Bank to plan possible clean-up and reconstruction operations in Gaza in the coming days. It is unclear, he said, whether that will be possible with Hamas still in charge over the next six weeks.
But that is tomorrow’s challenge, said Mr. Obeid.
For now, he said, “I can breathe oxygen again.”
Bilal Shabair contributed reporting from Deir al Balah, the Gaza Strip and Aaron Boxerman from Jerusalem.
