On October 13, 2025, a sense of cautious hope swept across the Middle East as Israel and Hamas enacted a long-negotiated ceasefire, culminating in a dramatic prisoner exchange and the release of all 20 surviving Israeli hostages. According to CGTN, Israel transferred 1,968 Palestinian prisoners and detainees as part of the deal, a gesture mirrored by Hamas’s handover of the remaining hostages. The day marked not just a diplomatic milestone but the beginning of a daunting new chapter for Gaza’s war-weary residents.
For many Palestinians, the end of active fighting meant a return home—but what awaited them was devastation on a scale rarely seen in modern history. As tens of thousands made their way back to the northern Gaza Strip in the days leading up to the ceasefire, they were met with scenes that stunned even the most hardened observers. Father Gabriel Romanelli, the Catholic pastor of Gaza City’s Holy Family Parish, described the destruction as “something analogous to a tsunami.” In a video message on October 11, he said, “How everything was utterly crushed, right? It’s literally like that. There are entire neighborhoods like that, and in every neighborhood there are many houses like that.”
The war, which erupted after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023—killing 1,200 people in southern Israeli communities—dragged on for two years, leaving a staggering toll: an estimated 67,000 Palestinians dead and 170,000 injured, the vast majority believed to be civilians, reported OSV News. The aftermath has left Gaza exhausted, its infrastructure flattened, and its people facing an uncertain future.
“We feel that we are returning to life, ready to rebuild Gaza again,” a released Palestinian prisoner told CGTN upon arriving in Khan Younis. Their words captured a mix of relief and resolve, but also underscored the enormity of the challenges ahead. Father Romanelli echoed these sentiments, wondering aloud, “OK, now what do we do? How do we do it?” as he contemplated the spiritual and practical hurdles facing Gaza’s diminished Catholic community and the wider population.
International efforts to support Gaza’s recovery began almost immediately. On October 12, hundreds of aid trucks entered the territory through the Rafah crossing, carrying desperately needed supplies to a population described as starving and depleted. Yet, as Father Romanelli pointed out, the needs are immense and immediate: “Reconstruction, cleaning the streets, bulldozers, diesel … gasoline, electricity, drinking water, the possibility of going to the sea.” He noted that sometimes the only water available was seawater, used for everything from cooking to bathing, and that even access to the coast remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, the ceasefire’s durability hinges on more than just humanitarian aid and reconstruction. Israeli military and political leaders have made clear that dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure—particularly its vast network of underground tunnels known as the “Gaza metro”—is paramount. According to The Post, senior Israel Defense Force commanders warned on October 13 that “dismantling Hamas’ terror tunnels under Gaza must be a top priority to maintain the ceasefire.” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that, following the safe return of all remaining hostages, the next phase would be “the destruction of all Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza.”
The scale of the challenge is daunting. The Hamas tunnel network stretches more than 310 miles—about half the length of the New York Subway system. As of early October 2025, IDF officials admitted that only about 25% of the tunnels had been damaged. These tunnels, often built beneath hospitals and civilian infrastructure, have been used for hiding, stockpiling weapons, and manufacturing bombs. On October 3, the IDF discovered a newly built 1.5-kilometer-long and 18 to 25-meter-deep tunnel under the Jordanian Field Hospital complex in Gaza City, a stark reminder of the persistent security threat.
Israel’s approach has drawn both domestic and international scrutiny. While some, like Res. Brigadier General Danny Van Buren, insisted that “in order to keep the ceasefire and put a foundation for peace in place, one necessary part is to eliminate Hamas infrastructure,” others questioned whether there was a viable mechanism for destroying the tunnels. Maj. Gen. (res.) Itzhak Brik, writing for Channel 12, noted, “The IDF does not have enough professional forces to blow up hundreds of kilometers of tunnels.”
On the political front, the ceasefire and prisoner exchange were accompanied by a flurry of diplomatic activity. President Donald Trump traveled to Israel on October 13 to address the Knesset and meet with hostage families, before heading to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to witness the signing of the peace deal. The summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, brought together leaders and foreign ministers from Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia. The deal included commitments to release hostages and prisoners, rebuild Gaza, and allow Palestinians to live on their land.
Despite the public rejection of demands for Hamas to decommission its weapons, some international experts, like Hugh Lovatt of the European Council on Foreign Relations, suggested that “privately leadership has expressed a different view,” indicating possible openness to a process of decommissioning offensive weapons. Still, as Col. (res.) Yigal Carmon told The Post, “Hamas remains in full force and will not negotiate its own dismantling and disappearance.”
Amidst these uncertainties, spiritual and moral appeals for peace have grown louder. In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV called on all parties to “disarm your hands and, even more importantly, your hearts… Peace will not come as the result of victories over the enemy, but as the fruit of sowing justice and courageous forgiveness.” Father Romanelli, too, emphasized the role of faith and community in helping Gaza’s residents endure and, hopefully, rebuild. “Just as the populations that suffered the tsunami … were able to lift their heads and rebuild their lives, hopefully, Gaza can also rebuild its life,” he said, while acknowledging, “It will take a long time.”
As Palestinians return to shattered neighborhoods and Israelis await the return of loved ones, the road ahead is fraught with challenges—material, political, and emotional. Yet, for the first time in years, there is a glimmer of hope that, with determination and international support, Gaza might one day rise from the rubble.