“It’s the first time in 15 months that the skies above me right here in the central area and across the Gaza Strip are relatively quiet, but we know the scars of the war are still fresh, and the challenges to recovery are quite immense,” Al Jazeera’s Hadi Mahmoud reports from Deir el-Balah, Gaza.

“The feelings here are quite mixed. People are showing a sense of excitement and happiness.

“We are minutes away from the ceasefire taking effect. However, we know people will not be able to go back to their homes until seven days from the time it takes effect, meaning they will have to stay where they are,” Mahmoud says.

Movement is quite restricted and limited as per the instructions the Israeli military put out, along with a map that has been circulating for the past 24 hours, warning people not to get close to where soldiers are deployed, including the Netzarim junction and the Philadelphi Corridor.

People are looking forward to returning to their homes in the northern part of Gaza City. They are also looking forward to mourning their loved ones properly, especially those who were killed and whom they were unable to reach in the past few months.

There is agony as well, as many sole survivors don’t have any of their family members left to celebrate with them at this particular moment.