Palestinians in Gaza have celebrated the agreement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal - but many fear confronting the grief that has built up over two years of war.
This morning, when we heard the news about the truce, it brought both joy and pain, 38-year-old Umm Hassan, who lost his 16-year-old son during the war, told the BBC.
Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting, he said. And those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and wondering how we would return home without them.
Every person who lost someone feels that sorrow deeply and wonders how they'll return home, he added.
The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump will see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. This is part of a broader peace plan that aims to end the ongoing conflict.
Despite the hopeful news, many recognize that grief is inevitable as they navigate the challenges of returning to a devastated homeland. The factions don’t feel our pain. Those leaders sitting comfortably abroad have no sense of the suffering we're enduring here in Gaza, noted Daniel Abu Tabeekh from the Jabalia refugee camp.
More than 67,000 Palestinians have died in the conflict, according to reports from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. As the dust settles on this latest development, the path to healing and rebuilding remains obscured by the shadows of loss and longing.
