Thousands of Palestinians poured onto Gaza’s battered coastal road Friday morning, walking north with children in tow and belongings strapped to carts and shoulders, marking a rare dawn of cautious optimism after two years of relentless Israeli attacks.
The movement came just hours after the Israeli military announced the activation of a long-anticipated cease-fire with Hamas – a deal brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump that could mark the most significant pause in hostilities since the conflict erupted in October 2023.
Footage broadcast across Arab networks showed long lines of families trudging along the Rashid coastal road south of the Wadi Gaza bridge – the same route that, for months, had served as a grim escape corridor for civilians fleeing bombardment.
Now, it carried them homeward.
The truce officially began at 9:00 a.m. GMT (12:00 p.m. local time), following Israel’s late-night cabinet ratification and signaled a tentative shift from destruction to recovery.
“We’re waiting for permission to return north to Gaza City,” said a resident near the Netzarim Corridor, a heavily militarized zone bisecting the enclave. “People are tired, scared – but hopeful. Maybe this time, it’s really over.”
Still, gunfire crackled across parts of the Strip even as families gathered along the coastal highway.
Witnesses reported Israeli forces firing warning shots near Netzarim, highlighting the fragile nature of the cease-fire as tanks continued to withdraw southward.
The truce marks the first tangible step in Trump’s sweeping 20-point Middle East Peace Initiative – a framework negotiated through indirect talks in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh with mediation from Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt under U.S. oversight.
Phase One, now in motion, centers on halting hostilities, facilitating humanitarian relief and arranging a prisoner and hostage exchange.
Hamas has agreed to release all 20 remaining living Israeli captives within 72 hours, followed by the return of 26 bodies of those who died during captivity.
In exchange, Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including prominent figures detained during the conflict, although the exact list remains under negotiation.
Israeli forces began a phased pullout from northern and central Gaza Friday morning, ceding control of roughly half the enclave and repositioning along the “yellow line” near the southern border.
For the first time in months, civil traffic resumed along key arteries like the coastal Rashid road and the inland Salah al-Din road, allowing families to return north.
Up to 600 aid trucks a day are slated to enter Gaza via Rafah and Kerem Shalom, delivering food, medicine and fuel without restrictions for the first time in nearly a year.
A U.S.-led monitoring task force of 200 troops, stationed outside the Strip, will coordinate with Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish observers to oversee the process.
Trump hailed the agreement as “a turning point for peace,” framing it as the first step toward long-term regional stability.
Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’s Gaza chief, confirmed he had received guarantees from the U.S. and other mediators that the war was over, emphasizing the deal’s permanence.
In Khan Younis, scenes of relief broke through the dust and fatigue.
Families emerged from makeshift shelters, distributing sweets and firing into the air in celebration.
“Thank God for the cease-fire,” said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo, a 51-year-old father of four. “May this be the end of bloodshed.”
In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, relatives of Israeli captives wept and embraced as news of the agreement spread. “I can’t breathe,” said Einav Zaugauker, mother of a hostage named Matan. “It feels unreal – like we’ve been holding our breath for two years.”
Yet many Gazans remain wary.
Hours before the truce began, Israeli strikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis reportedly killed seven people.
“They say the war is over,” said 40-year-old Ismail Zayda, standing amid the rubble of his neighborhood in Sheikh Radwan. “But who guarantees that to us? My neighbors are gone, my city is gone. We just want to live without fear.”
Rescue crews, returning to previously inaccessible zones, recovered at least 10 bodies from collapsed buildings.
Much of Gaza remains unrecognizable – flattened neighborhoods, ruined hospitals and displaced families scattered across makeshift tent camps.
The war, which began following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel and took hostages, has since claimed the lives of more than 67,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement “a framework for the release of all hostages – the living and the deceased,” though it drew sharp criticism from far-right members of his coalition, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who threatened to withdraw support if Hamas remains in control of Gaza.
The cease-fire also marks a delicate moment for Israel’s relations with Washington.
Trump’s patience with Netanyahu had worn thin in recent months as civilian deaths mounted and global outrage grew.
The U.S. will deploy 200 troops as part of a multinational stability task force – joined by personnel from Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the UAE – to oversee the postwar transition from outside Gaza’s borders.
Trump is expected to arrive in Egypt on Sunday for a potential signing ceremony, followed by an address to Israel’s Knesset, an unprecedented gesture in Israeli history.
Despite the cautious celebrations, the path ahead remains uncertain. Gaza’s governance after the war, Hamas’s future and Israel’s internal divisions could still unravel the fragile calm. Yet for the first time in two years, the streets of Gaza echoed not with explosions – but with footsteps, songs and prayers for peace.
“We’ve heard of cease-fires before,” Zayda said quietly, watching a group of children walk north toward Gaza City. “But maybe this time, it’s real.”
