As the temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas holds, Palestinians in Gaza are returning to their neighborhoods, only to find them unrecognizable. The streets they once called home are now buried under mountains of rubble, with families desperately trying to salvage whatever they can—be it a chair, a mattress, or a crate. Montaser Bahja, an English teacher, described the heartbreaking scene after visiting his old neighborhood in Jabaliya. “People can barely recognize the crushed places where they used to live,” he said. In a video shared with The New York Times, Bahja and his son Alhassan walk through the wreckage, pointing out where homes once stood. “This is Fahmy Abu Warda’s home; this is Abu Shaaban’s home,” Alhassan says, his voice filled with disbelief. Meanwhile, in Israel, the focus has shifted to the newly released hostages. Three women, freed as part of the truce, are now receiving medical and psychological care at Sheba Medical Center. Officials have shared little about their condition, only stating they are stable and reuniting with their families. The cease-fire, now in its second day, has brought a fragile pause to the 15-month conflict. While Gazans grapple with the overwhelming destruction, Israelis hold onto hope for more hostage releases. The scenes in Gaza serve as a stark reminder of the war’s toll, leaving families to rebuild their lives from the ground up. ---