Thousands return to northern Gaza, hopeful, but faced with devastation

Palestinians instrumentality to inspect their destroyed homes successful the Tal al-Hawa area, southwest of Gaza City, Oct. 11, 2025. Many were trying to retrieve whatever furnishings they could from the rubble. [Saher Alghorra/The New York Times]

TEL AVIV, Israel — Thousands of radical continued to travel by ft toward Gaza City connected Saturday arsenic a ceasefire held overnight, but aboriginal accounts described devastation crossed the area.

“The standard of demolition is truly staggering,” said Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the United Nations’ humanitarian office, who visited the metropolis this past week.

Mediators anticipation the ceasefire, which began astatine noon Friday, will pb to the extremity of two years of war.

In the Gaza Strip, joyousness astatine the intermission successful warring has been tempered by the standard of demolition that galore look arsenic they instrumentality to the north. Hundreds of thousands of radical fled Gaza City past period arsenic Israel began a crushed violative there.

Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense exigency rescue service, said Saturday that 63 bodies had been recovered successful the streets of Gaza City since the ceasefire began. He said helium believed dozens much were astir apt under the rubble.

The manager of Shifa Hospital successful Gaza City, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, said the wellness attraction system would look “severe shortages” and “immense” challenges arsenic radical returned to the city.

The statement reached Thursday betwixt Israel and Hamas contains stipulations for an summation of assistance into the enclave.

Israel will let the United Nations to present larger amounts of humanitarian assistance into Gaza starting Sunday, according to a elder U.N. authoritative who spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon the plans.

The United Nations has said astir 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine and different supplies are staged and acceptable to beryllium transported.

According to the agreement, Hamas would merchandise the remaining Israeli hostages held successful Gaza successful speech for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and Israeli troops would withdraw to caller deployment lines wrong the territory.

The woody is based connected a 20-point program announced past period by President Donald Trump. Though the truce reached this past week does not code some of the plan’s cardinal stipulations, including whether Hamas will hold to disarm, Trump has celebrated it arsenic a victory.

He told reporters that helium believed there was “consensus connected most” of the program and that the hostages would beryllium released Monday.

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This nonfiction primitively appeared successful The New York Times.