As the cease-fire continues, Gazans and Israelis express their joy with skepticism

As a cease-fire was reached Sunday in Gaza, possibly ending the longest and deadliest conflict in a century of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, two men used similar metaphors to describe the his feelings.

“The weight off my chest has been lifted,” said Ziad Obeid, a civil servant in Gaza who was displaced several times during the war. “We survived.”

“The rock in my heart is being removed,” said former Israeli politician Dov Weissglas. “We want to see the hostages home, time.”

But — both men also had a “but” — Mr. Obeid has not seen his damaged home in northern Gaza for more than a year. What, he wondered, was the damage? And who will rebuild Gaza that has been destroyed?

Mr Weissglas was concerned about the condition of the hostages due to be released gradually over the next few weeks from the dank part of the province. And he grumbled at their exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for Israeli attacks. “There is relief,” he said, “wrapped in caution, fear and concern.”

It was an apt summation of the mood on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide on Sunday, as Israelis and Palestinians expressed dubious jubilation.

For the Palestinians, the truce is theoretically expected to provide at least six months without strikes in Gaza. This provides a window for Gazans to take the first steps towards recovery; to find relatives still buried in the rubble; and admit the killing of more than 45,000 people, both civilians and combatants, whose bodies have already been counted by the health authorities in Gaza.

For the Israelis, the deal allows for the gradual release of at least 33 hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel — an attack that killed up to 1,200 people and triggered the response 15 months of destruction of Israel. For the hostages released alive, this means freedom after 470 days of captivity. For Israelis in general, many of whom have been crushed by the remnants of guilt, it offers a qualified catharsis.

But the details of the deal between Israel and Hamas mean both sides still face considerable uncertainty about how the next six months will play out, let alone whether the tentative deal will last beyond that. . Even the first phase started hours behind schedule on Sunday morning, amid a dispute over which hostages would be released in the afternoon. At that time, according to the authorities in Gaza, many people were still killed and wounded by the Israeli strikes.

The Palestinians remain unclear about the fate of thousands of Gazans who have been held incommunicado during the war and may be excluded from future exchanges. Reema Diab, a housewife in central Gaza, has yet to see her husband, a horse trainer, who she said was interrogated in Israel in December 2023 and has not heard from since.

“I am very relieved that the bleeding is about to end, but my heart hurts,” said Ms. Diab. “His absence is unthinkable.”

Tens of miles away, Mr. Weissglas feared for the fate of some 65 hostages who may not be freed from Gaza if the deal collapses after six weeks. He worries that many of the first 33 hostages scheduled to be released in the next 42 days may be emotionally or physically ill, or even dead. And they lamented the price of their freedom, which will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, including those convicted of major terrorist attacks and young people who have not yet been charged.

Palestinians consider the soon-to-be-released prisoners to be freedom fighters. For Israelis, it will be a psychological blow to see “this group of murderers released,” Mr. Weissglas said.

The video of Hamas fighters triumphantly re-emerging from hiding was also a gut punch to Israelis, who had hoped the war would completely destroy the army’s capabilities. For many Gazans it was a cause for celebration, but for others it was a reminder of lingering doubts about Gaza’s future governance.

Mr. Obeid works for the Palestinian Authority, which lost power to Hamas in Gaza 18 years ago but still employs some civil servants there, including Mr. Obeid. He said he was working with the leaders of the West Bank authorities to prepare for possible clean-up and reconstruction operations in Gaza in the coming days. It is not clear, he said, if this will be done while Hamas is still in power in the next six weeks.

But that is tomorrow’s challenge, said Mr. Obeid.

Now, he said, “I can breathe oxygen again.”

Bilal Shbair contributed reports from Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, and Aaron Boxerman from Jerusalem.