'Joy and Pain': A Complex Reaction to Gaza Ceasefire Agreement

Fri Oct 10 2025 10:58:19 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

While Palestinians celebrate a ceasefire and hostage release deal, a deep undercurrent of grief pervades their joy, reflecting two years of severe loss and suffering.

Palestinians express mixed feelings of joy and sorrow in response to a ceasefire agreement and hostage release deal announced by US President Trump. Many heavily impacted by personal losses during the war question how they will confront their grief despite the news bringing some hope for peace. Civilians highlight the difficulties endured while coping with loss and the ongoing struggle for security and recovery.

Palestinians in Gaza have celebrated the agreement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal - but many fear confronting the grief that has built up over two years of war.

This morning, when we heard the news about the truce, it brought both joy and pain, said Umm Hassan, a 38-year-old who lost his 16-year-old son during the war. Out of joy, both the young and the old began shouting, and those who had lost loved ones started remembering them and wondering how we would return home without them.

The agreement announced by US President Donald Trump will see the release of 20 living hostages and the bodies of 28 dead hostages in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails and 1,700 detainees from Gaza. It marks the first phase of a 20-point peace plan that could potentially end ongoing hostilities, though subsequent negotiations remain necessary.

Many civilians, like Daniel Abu Tabeekh from the Jabalia refugee camp, express a feeling of neglect by leadership, stating, The factions don't feel our pain. Those leaders sitting comfortably abroad have no sense of the suffering we're enduring here in Gaza. He further emphasized his plight, saying, I have no home; I've been living on the streets for a year and a half.

The conflict was ignited by Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023, resulting in the loss of around 1,200 lives, primarily Israeli civilians. In retaliation, Israel's offensive has claimed over 67,000 Palestinian lives, predominantly civilians.

As more than 90% of Gaza's housing has been reported as damaged or destroyed, individuals like Umm Nader Kloub, who lost seven relatives, harbor hopes for a return to normalcy, saying, God willing, he will help [the negotiators] and allow us all to return to our homes, and for their hostages to return safely; we don't want war.

However, with peace comes the weight of grief. Dr. Muhammad Rayan from al-Aqsa hospital shared, Deep inside, we feel thankful that the war has ended. But when we remember the groans, the wounds, and the immense loss, we simply can't rejoice. Our happiness is mixed with pain.

Officials note a significant emotional burden, as Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, stated, When our people and our families were being killed, the feeling was: how do you stop this? But after the event, the main feeling will be grief, mourning, and a deep, deep sense of loss. Because what we've lost is huge.