KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Palestinians in tents in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis are eagerly waiting for Sunday when a ceasefire agreement will take effect so they can return to their homes and start rebuilding their lives, after 15 months of a bloody war that took the lives of tens of thousands.
"People are happy and relieved because of the truce and the end of the war. They want to return to their homes,” said Fatima Killab, a Palestinian woman displaced in Khan Younis.
"But I sit here crying, wondering how I can return when my house has been completely destroyed," she added.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire last week after nearly 460 days of war that saw 46,788 Palestinians killed and 110,453 others wounded, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
On Saturday, the Israeli government approved the ceasefire agreement following a six-hour meeting, according to a brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
"We've endured great hardships and pain living in tents. God willing, as soon as the truce takes effect, we'll be able to go to Rafah to get organized," said Saeed al-Qassas, another Palestinian displaced in Khan Younis.
After 15 months of war, many will be returning to ruins where their homes once stood. Gaza's Health Ministry said thousands of people killed in airstrikes are still buried under the rubble.
"The first thing I'll do when I reach Rafah is search for my brother's body. He's been missing for five months," Qassas added.
Under the ceasefire, 33 hostages held in Gaza will be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
The remaining hostages, including soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that is still to be negotiated.
Hamas has vowed not to release the remaining hostages unless a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal are agreed upon.
