An aerial view shows Palestinians walking among the rubble after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the area, as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, on October 11, 2025. Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters.
Thousands of displaced Palestinians returned to their homes in Gaza City or Khan Younis on Saturday, the second day of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, only to discover the extent of the destruction caused by two years of war.
Raja Salmi managed, after a "particularly exhausting journey," to return to her neighborhood of al-Rimal, in the heart of Gaza City, where weeks of bombardments had destroyed what the Israeli army said were areas believed to be sheltering thousands of Hamas fighters. But her apartment was gone: The building "no longer exists, it's just a pile of rubble."
"I stood in front of [these ruins] and started to cry, all the memories reduced to dust," she told AFP.
'Destruction, destruction'
"I don't know what to say, what I see is stronger than any words... Destruction, destruction, and more destruction," Saher Abu Al-Atta, another returning resident, told AFP from the ruins of al-Rantissi pediatric hospital.
On Al-Rashid Road, which runs along the entire Gaza coastline, the line of pedestrians and vehicles has continued to move forward since the announcement of the cease-fire's start by the Israeli army, Friday at noon (09:00 GMT).
Trucks bearing Egyptian flags are transporting Palestinians from the south to the north, as a journalist from AFP stationed by the roadside in central Gaza Strip observed.
Civil Defense, an emergency response organization operating under Hamas authority, estimates that about 250,000 displaced people have returned to northern Gaza Strip (including Gaza City) in the 24 hours following the implementation of the cease-fire.
Across Gaza Strip, rescue workers continue to search the rubble for bodies after the withdrawal of Israeli troops behind agreed lines, inside the Palestinian territory, as part of the cease-fire.
The Israeli army warned Friday that several areas remained "extremely dangerous" for civilians. Several Palestinian sources reported sporadic gunfire, particularly in Khan Younis governorate in the south, though the army has not confirmed this. The cease-fire's entry into force triggered a period of up to 72 hours during which Hamas must hand over the remaining 48 hostages, alive or dead.
In exchange, Israel must release 250 "security prisoners," including many convicted of deadly anti-Israeli attacks, and 1,700 Palestinians arrested by the Israeli army in Gaza Strip since the start of the war in October 2023.
'Coming steps'
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was confident the cease-fire "will hold." He is due to visit the Middle East this weekend, starting in Israel, where he is scheduled to address the Knesset, then to Egypt where he plans on Monday "to meet with many leaders" to discuss the future of Gaza Strip.
On the political front, Hamas has stated it hopes for the imminent meeting of a national council of Palestinian movements to determine "the coming steps."
One of its officials, Bassem Naim, told Britain's Sky News Friday evening that the group's weapons would be handed over only to a Palestinian force, as this issue is crucial in the negotiations, especially for the second phase of the cease-fire, after the release of hostages and prisoners. Another official, Moussa Abu Marzouk, confirmed on Al Jazeera, specifying that the possibility of having a peacekeeping force in Gaza Strip was being studied.
The Islamist movement, which took control of the territory in 2007, establishing a parallel government to that of the Palestinian Authority, claimed it had carried out thousands of public service operations in the past 24 hours, from hospitals to infrastructure.
AFP was unable to verify these claims, but its journalists saw municipal police deployed in various locations, including Gaza City.
