Gazans displaced by Israel’s Hamas war say they are expecting a “bittersweet” return home this Sunday (19) when the ceasefire agreement comes into effect, bringing relief to more than a year of Israeli bombing.
For Ahmad Al-Hamadiyat – a trader from Sheikh Radwan, a neighborhood in Gaza City, displaced in Al-Zawaida, in the center of the territory – the idea of returning to a house left in ruins brings conflicting emotions.
“During the war, I prayed to God to spare me and my children from the relentless attacks, random bombings and land invasions,” he reported to CNN. “But now, following the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, after 470 days of war – marked by genocide, deprivation, hunger, injustice, loss, exploitation and the anguish of living in tents – we are awaiting a bittersweet return.”
Al-Hamadiyat described feeling “joyful but incomplete” due to the loss of loved ones, homes, memories and dreams. “Everything turned to ashes”, he expressed.
Raed Ridwan, from the refugee camp in central Deir al-Balah, described his “immense relief” upon hearing about the ceasefire agreement.
“I will be able to walk the streets without fear, without carrying the constant worry of my wife and mother or fearing for their safety”, he highlighted to CNN.
According to Ridwan, it will no longer be necessary to ask yourself “if I can leave and not come back or if I can come back and find them lost due to a sudden and treacherous situation.”
He continued saying that he intends to return home, despite it being reduced to rubble. “I don’t want another war. All I want is a wall to lean on after the exhaustion of these days and a glass of water to quench the thirst of these months.”
