Displaced Palestinians in Al-Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza, welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, calling it a fragile step toward peace and survival. Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal, offering a tentative path toward ending the two-year conflict that has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, injured almost 170,000 others, and left the enclave in ruins. The deal on the first phase of a U.S.-backed peace plan, following intense negotiations in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheik mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States, outlines a phased Israeli withdrawal and establishes mechanisms for prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid delivery. The ceasefire deal came into effect in the Gaza Strip at 12:00 noon local time (0900 GMT) on Friday, said the Israeli Defense Forces in a statement. "Overall, the reaching of a ceasefire, or the temporary truce, as they call it, I don't want to say this is an achievement. Rather, this was a dream for the Palestinian people, to wake up in the morning and see that the occupation forces are gone from Gaza, with all their weapons, ammunition and warplanes. Of course, everyone is happy today, but the joy feels incomplete, because we are families of martyrs. We are the fathers, uncles, friends and neighbors of the martyrs. How can we return to our destroyed homes without our children? We lost our children in this war," said Nidal Al-Shorbaji, a Gaza resident. For many Palestinians, the ceasefire represents a long overdue moment of hope and a chance to rebuild their shattered lives, after relentless suffering. "Of course, the ceasefire will help a lot in improving the tough conditions the Palestinian people are living under, especially those staying in these tents with no electricity, no access to water, and suffering from constant thirst and the shortage of food. The ceasefire will greatly help bring in food aid, reopening of border crossings, and deliver aid to those who are living in these tents," said Anas Al-Khatib, a displaced Palestinian. "In this war, we live with no water and eat from the charity kitchen. But with the ceasefire, my son will be able to work and provide for our daily needs, and we can live our lives normally, just like before. We need rest, work, safety, and to get our food, and live in our homes as we used to before. We no longer want to be forced from our homes. This is all we ask for," said Salaam Shbeir, another displaced Palestinian. The video shows: Central Gaza Strip - Oct 9, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of pastry shop 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nidal Al-Shorbaji, Gaza resident: "Overall, the reaching of a ceasefire, or the temporary truce, as they call it, I don't want to say this is an achievement. Rather, this was a dream for the Palestinian people, to wake up in the morning and see that the occupation forces are gone from Gaza, with all their weapons, ammunition and warplanes. Of course, everyone is happy today, but the joy feels incomplete, because we are families of martyrs. We are the fathers, uncles, friends and neighbors of the martyrs. How can we return to our destroyed homes without our children? We lost our children in this war." 3. Various of street with pedestrians, tents, stalls 4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Anas Al-Khatib, displaced Palestinian: "Of course, the ceasefire will help a lot in improving the tough conditions the Palestinian people are living under, especially those staying in these tents with no electricity, no access to water, and suffering from constant thirst and the shortage of food. The ceasefire will greatly help bring in food aid, reopening of border crossings, and deliver aid to those who are living in these tents." 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Salaam Shbeir, displaced Palestinian (ending with shot 6): "In this war, we live with no water and eat from the charity kitchen. But with the ceasefire, my son will be able to work and provide for our daily needs, and we can live our lives normally, just like before. We need rest, work, safety, and to get our food, and live in our homes as we used to before. We no longer want to be forced from our homes. This is all we ask for." 6. Various of street with pedestrians, tents, stalls [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]