Displaced Palestinians in Central Gaza voiced hope as they streamed north on Friday (October 10), after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect at midday, many travelling on foot or on carts piled with belongings.

"This is the happiest day of our lives," said Ali Rihan, while others expressed similar relief and a longing to return home.

The Israeli military said the ceasefire agreement had been activated at noon local time (0900 GMT). Israel's government ratified the ceasefire with Hamas in the early hours of Friday, clearing the way to partially pull back troops and fully suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours.

Hamas is expected to release the 20 living Israeli hostages within 72 hours, after which Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving long terms in Israeli prisons, and 1,700 others detained in Gaza during the war.

Almost all of Gaza’s 2.2 million population has been displaced by the war, which erupted in October 2023 after Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

Israel's retaliatory air and ground war killed over 67,000 people, according to local health officials, reduced much of the coastal Gaza Strip to vast tracts of rubble and wrought a humanitarian disaster.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

CENTRAL GAZA, GAZA (OCTOBER 10, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. DISPLACED PALESTINIANS IN CENTRAL GAZA MOVING ALONG A ROAD AS THEY HEAD NORTH AFTER CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND HAMAS WENT INTO EFFECT

2. VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS WITH THEIR BELONGINGS HEADING NORTH ON FOOT OR ON CARTS PULLED BY VEHICLES

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN, ALI RIHAN, SAYING:

"Of course, this is an indescribable day - the happiest day of our lives. Today, the war has ended. We ask the negotiators to complete the negotiations in full and to arrange (for everyone) to return across the entire Gaza Strip, God willing. We are heading home, very happy, and very grateful to you. May God bless the Arab Republic of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey for their good efforts, and special thanks as well to (U.S Presdeitn Donald) Trump."

4. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS MAKING THEIR WAY TOWARDS THE NORTH WITH THEIR BELONGINGS

5. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIAN MAHIRA AL-ASHI AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS WALKING ALONG ROAD AND CARRYING BAGS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN, MAHIRA AL-ASHI, SAYING:

"By God, when they opened the road, I was so happy to go back to Gaza (City). (I was so excited) that I didn't sleep all night as I waited for the news so I would leave at night - leave - what mattered is to get going and reach the place where I lived and grew up; my family is there. I've been waiting to see them and go to them."

7. ASHI AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS WALKING ALONG THE ROAD WITH THEIR BELONGINGS

8. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS MOVING ALONG THE ROAD ON FOOT, IN VEHICLES LOADED WITH BELONGINGS OR ON BICYCLES, WHILE SOME ARE SITTING ATOP A CART PULLED BY A DONKEY OR ATOP TRUCKS AND CARTS

9. DISPLACED PALESTINIAN, WAEL DEBABESH, STANDING NEXT TO DONKEY-DRAWN CART LOADED WITH BELONGINGS

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DISPLACED PALESTINIAN, WAEL DEBABESH, SAYING:

"I was sleeping in the street - no tent, nothing. I was getting by with the neighbors' help, half a tent from here and half a tent from there. Now, God willing, there's a truce, and God willing the war won't come back - ever, ever. We don't want wars or any of this. We are a people who seek peace, we are lovers of peace. Now we just want to go back to our homes."

11. PALESTINIANS PLACING BELONGINGS ATOP A WHEELED CART

12. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS MAKING THEIR WAY TOWARDS THE NORTH ON COASTAL ROAD

13. VARIOUS OF DISPLACED PALESTINIANS MOVING ALONG BEACH ON FOOT, IN VEHICLES LOADED WITH BELONGINGS OR ON BICYCLES, WHILE SOME ARE SITTING ATOP AN ANIMAL-DRAWN CART OR ATOP TRUCKS AND CARTS