Palestinian Communities Face Mixed Emotions Amid Ceasefire Celebration

Wed Oct 22 2025 18:14:11 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Celebrations erupt in Gaza as Palestinians welcome a ceasefire agreement, yet many fear the emotional toll of grief from two years of conflict.

Palestinians in Gaza celebrate a ceasefire agreement, bringing a mix of joy and pain as they confront the grief from a two-year war, marked by significant loss and suffering. Community members express their complicated emotions as they look towards potential recovery while mourning the loved ones they've lost.

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, said Umm Hassan, a 38-year-old mother who lost her 16-year-old son during the conflict. Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting, yet those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and questioning how we will return home without them. Every person who lost someone feels that sorrow deeply and wonders how they'll return home, she added.

The agreement announced by U.S. President Donald Trump includes the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. This marks the initial phase of a larger peace plan that could end the ongoing war, although further negotiations are needed.

Daniel Abu Tabeekh from Jabalia refugee camp highlighted the disconnect between the suffering of civilians and the leaders making decisions abroad, stating, The factions don't feel our pain. Those leaders sitting comfortably abroad have no sense of the suffering we're enduring here in Gaza. He expressed his despair stating, I have no home. I've been living on the streets for a year and a half.

With thousands dead and immense destruction in Gaza, more than 90% of housing has been damaged or destroyed according to the UN. Many, including Umm Nader Kloub, who lost seven relatives, express a bittersweet hope as she stated, God rewarded us for our patience. We don't want war. As reactions pour in post-agreement, hospital staff and individuals alike share their complex feelings: gratitude for a ceasefire intertwined with mourning for the substantial losses suffered during the conflict.

As the initial news of the ceasefire broke, Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, captured the essence of their pain: The worst part in the last two years is that while you are losing loved ones, you are unable to allow yourself to grieve. He expressed that the true mourning would begin once the conflict had subsided and the realization of their losses becomes fully apparent.