Cautious optimism in Gaza – but no Israeli army withdrawal as of now

Some people here are very careful about expressing their excitement or expressing their true feelings about what’s going on. They’ve been let down so many times to the point they don’t believe it.

People, initially, responded with excitement.

They stay hopeful, and they pray that they are going to get to that point where there is a public announcement, because that would give them a respite, that would give them a proper moment to mourn the past 729 days – and the constant displacement, constant trauma, constant fear.

There was instruction earlier telling the Israeli military to move from offensive mode into defensive mode, but three of the attacks on Gaza today happened right after this statement was made – and that’s what makes the whole feeling here still a bit shaky.

Meanwhile, we’re not seeing any concrete movement on the ground in terms of withdrawal from areas that have been occupied by the Israeli military over the past few days.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports.

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Post from Al Jazeera on October 04, 2025

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