Drone and satellite images, broadcast across the world, have laid bare the staggering devastation in Gaza. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, and the once-bustling streets of Gaza City are now choked with debris and silence. Yet, as of Sunday, October 12, 2025, a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has sparked a mass return of tens of thousands of Palestinians to the battered north of the Strip, igniting hope that a relentless two-year war might finally be drawing to a close.
According to the BBC and Reuters, the truce has already changed the tempo on the ground. For the first time in months, aid convoys—dozens of trucks laden with medical kits, fuel, food, blankets, and tents—crossed into Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah crossing. The Egyptian Red Crescent confirmed the arrival of these life-saving supplies, while Egypt announced ambitious plans to send 400 aid trucks. Israel’s COGAT, the body overseeing civilian affairs in the occupied territories, suggested that daily aid deliveries could reach 600 trucks under the new agreement.
The United Nations World Food Programme added further detail, stating that it has roughly 170,000 metric tons of food, medicine, and supplies ready to enter Gaza. "That’s enough staple food to feed the entire Gaza population of more than two million people for up to three months," the agency wrote in a statement cited by France 24. These supplies, however, are still subject to Israeli inspection and approval, and before the ceasefire, aid deliveries met only about 20% of Gaza’s needs. The hope now is that the new arrangement will finally break the stranglehold of hunger that has gripped the Strip, where famine was reported in several areas as recently as August, according to a UN-backed body.
But for many Palestinians, the return home has been bittersweet. Satellite photos show long lines of vehicles heading north along Gaza’s battered coastal highway, Al Rashid Street, as displaced families make their way back to neighborhoods that, in many cases, no longer exist. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) reported that about 1.9 million people—nearly 90% of Gaza’s population—were displaced during the war, many of them multiple times. The United Nations Satellite Centre found that by late September, an estimated 83% of all structures in Gaza City had been destroyed or damaged; across the entire territory, that figure stood at 78% by July. The United Nations Environment Programme calculated that clearing the 61 million tonnes of debris now strewn across Gaza—an amount equivalent to 25 Eiffel Towers by volume—will be a herculean task. The World Bank estimates that rebuilding will require more than $50 billion.
Despite the devastation, some semblance of order is returning. Armed police affiliated with the Hamas-run Interior Ministry have resumed patrols in parts of Gaza City and the south, reportedly to protect the aid convoys winding through the war-ravaged streets. Their reappearance is a stark reminder of the uncertainties still swirling around governance and security, even as the ceasefire holds.
The humanitarian relief effort is not without controversy. In May, Israel—claiming that Hamas militants were siphoning off aid—tightened its blockade and established the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed body tasked with overseeing food distribution. But the GHF’s operations have been chaotic and, at times, deadly. Hundreds of Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near aid distribution points, and the group has faced sharp criticism for mismanagement and endangering civilians. Now, following the ceasefire, several GHF sites in Rafah, Khan Younis, and the Netzarim corridor have been dismantled, with locals seen scavenging for wood and fencing. One man in Khan Younis told Al Jazeera, “There’s been no food for days.” The GHF, for its part, declined to comment on the situation, fueling further confusion about who will oversee humanitarian distribution going forward.
As the dust begins to settle, attention is turning to the fate of hostages and prisoners. Israel is preparing for the release of hostages held in Gaza, with an internal message confirming that the process will begin on Monday, October 13, 2025. Officials estimate that about 20 of the 48 captives are still alive. Returning hostages will be taken to hospitals or forensic facilities, depending on their condition. In parallel, thousands of Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be freed as part of the agreement.
The diplomatic stage is set for an ambitious peace push. U.S. President Donald Trump, who played a key role in brokering the ceasefire, is scheduled to arrive in Israel on Monday. According to a White House statement, he will meet with families of the hostages and deliver an address at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, before traveling to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. There, Trump will co-chair a high-stakes peace summit alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The summit, which aims to finalize the peace deal and clarify post-war governance and reconstruction plans, will draw a formidable cast of world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Pope Leo XIV added a spiritual dimension to the proceedings on Sunday, calling for "courage" from those working toward a peace plan for Gaza. "The agreement to begin the peace process has given a spark of hope in the Holy Land," the U.S.-born pontiff said after his Angelus prayer, as reported by Vatican News. He urged all parties to "courageously continue on the path towards a just and lasting peace that respects the legitimate aspirations of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples." The Pope also reflected on the immense human cost of the conflict, saying, “Two years of conflict have left death and destruction everywhere, especially in the hearts of those who have brutally lost their children, their parents, their friends, everything.”
The roots of the war stretch back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a deadly cross-border assault into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with women and children making up about half the victims. Nearly 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced, and the war’s brutality has drawn widespread condemnation, global protests, and legal challenges, including genocide allegations against Israel—allegations the Israeli government firmly denies.
Even as aid begins to flow and hostages are set to be freed, the future remains uncertain. Key questions—who will govern Gaza, the fate of Hamas, and the daunting task of reconstruction—are still unresolved. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered preparations to dismantle Hamas’ vast tunnel network “under an international mechanism led by the U.S.,” but a lasting peace is far from guaranteed. As the world’s attention shifts to the peace summit in Egypt, the people of Gaza are left to pick through the rubble, searching for hope amid the ruins.
The ceasefire’s first days have brought a measure of relief and a glimmer of hope, but the true test will be whether the world’s promises translate into lasting change for Gaza’s shattered population.