Hanan al-Gidra knew that her home in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, had been partially destroyed, but she decided to return anyway when she believed the ceasefire had begun.
Israel’s 15-month war on Gaza was devastating, so when his family learned that a ceasefire was in effect at 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday, they decided to return home.
“We put all our things in the donkey carts and my children left before me with my husband. I went away to get some of our needs, and then I heard that there was a strike and I knew it was them,” she said. » told Middle East Eye.
“When I arrived, I found that my eldest son and my youngest daughter had been killed. May God accept them. Praise be to God.”
Gidra said they were killed an hour after the ceasefire was supposed to take effect.
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“They were excited, they were playing and getting ready to go home. They were getting ready to face their destiny,” she said. “At least they died as martyrs.”
Minutes before the ceasefire began, Israel said it would continue attacking Gaza because it had not received a list of captives to be released by Hamas.
Hamas said “technical problems on the ground” were to blame for its delay in providing the list, later adding that there were “errors” in the names.
A Palestinian official told Reuters that Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza since the ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday had hampered contacts.
Immediately after the 8:30 a.m. deadline, Israel began striking Gaza with warplanes, drone strikes and artillery.
Attacks were reported in Gaza City, Beit Hanoun in the north, and Khan Younis and Rafah in the south. Fighter jets were also seen flying at low altitude.
Rescue workers said 19 Palestinians were killed and 36 injured between 8:30 a.m. and the ceasefire took effect at 11:15 a.m.
The Israeli army has killed a total of 206 Palestinians in Gaza since reaching a ceasefire agreement with Hamas on Wednesday evening.
Israel said Sunday morning it was striking “terrorist targets.” However, Palestinian civilians told MEE that they were being targeted as they tried to return home.
Ramadan Kassab was shelled by an Israeli tank while inspecting his home in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, moments after the truce was supposed to take effect.
“When we entered the apartment, it was bombed,” he told MEE. “My nephew Yousef died and two others were injured.”
Once the ceasefire actually took effect, Palestinians began celebrating.
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About 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have been displaced by the war, according to the United Nations, and thousands have begun returning home as the guns fall silent, while many of their cities were in complete ruin.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 47,000 people, and experts estimate the true toll could be much higher. Most of the dead are women and children.
Many bodies remain buried under the rubble and Palestinians have said they hope to return their deceased loved ones to their homes.
The UN said hundreds of humanitarian trucks were set to enter Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal.
Some 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people.
As of Sunday afternoon, preparations were underway to exchange three Israeli captives – Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari – for 95 Palestinian prisoners, all women.
In total, 33 Israelis will be exchanged for 1,800 Palestinians.
