As talks on a ceasefire and a hostage deal between Israel and Hamascontinue in Doha, Palestinians in Gazaare waiting to see if an agreement will be reached this time. 

“It’s not the first time such talk has surfaced. I don’t want to be overly optimistic, but I hold on to the hope that it will end in a few days and we can return home to home, which was partially destroyed,” Imad Khalil, 53, told DW by phone from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

He was displaced to the south while some of his children and relatives stayed in northern Gaza. They weren’t able to see each other during the war.

As the outlines of a possible deal emerge, one of the main concerns for many displaced Palestinians is the possibility of returning home — although many may not have a home to return to as large areas have been razed to the ground by Israeli bombardment. According to the United Nations, more than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced, many of them multiple times.

“I hope to reunite with them soon, and I pray that we are all safe and well,” Khalil said. “We are living in a nightmare, day and night. The bombing and death are relentless. I know Gaza is in ruins, and I am aware that after this war, there will be another battle — a battle to rebuild our lives, a fight for stability.”

The emerging agreement would reportedly allow displaced Palestinians in the south to return home to northern Gaza, with a mechanism to ensure that no weapons are transferred there. 

Joud Khamis, a mother of four children, is following the news closely.

“This time, I am very optimistic, though I don’t want to feel the same disappointment as in previous instances when there was talk of reaching an agreement,” the 36-year-old said on the phone from Khan Yunis, adding, “I will be first in line to go back home.”

Khamis said her family was forced to leave their home in Gaza City in November 2023 and has since been displaced several times. She and her family are currently living in a tent in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Like thousands of others, she hopes the agreement will allow them to return to their home in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.

“This war has changed us. It has turned us into people we no longer recognize, even to ourselves,” Khamis said. She said she’s heard that her house in Gaza City is still standing, but she has no idea of the extent of the damage it may have suffered.

“I want even a small piece of my previous life — one without killing, death, blood, fear, and terror,” Khamis said. “Let them agree to stop the war. We don’t want anything else.”