Thousands of people who returned to Gaza City after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect found their homes completely destroyed and the streets unrecognizable.

It was a repeat of emotional scenes from an earlier ceasefire in January.

A steady stream of people, the vast majority on foot, crammed onto a coastal road in the central Gaza Strip, heading north to see what might remain of their homes.

The destruction this time is even greater, after Israel waged a new offensive in Gaza City, in the north, in recent weeks.

The military bombed high-rises and blew up homes in what it said was an attempt to destroy Hamas' remaining military infrastructure.

”I cannot specify where the house is or where the places we used to live in are," said Imad Al-Beik, as he returned to Gaza City.

Pointing at the piles of rubble, he added "even when it comes to the streets I am asking where the streets are."

Maram Sabbah, who was displaced from Jabaliya, described being in an "an unnatural state of shock" upon returning.

"We have never lived such a shock. There are no homes nor places for us to stay in," she said.

The latest truce nevertheless marks a key step toward ending a ruinous two-year war that was triggered by Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced around 90% of the Gaza population of some 2 million, often multiple times.

The military confirmed the start of the ceasefire Friday, and the remaining 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, are to be released by Monday.

Palestinians said heavy shelling in parts of Gaza earlier on Friday had mostly stopped after the military's announcement.

Netanyahu said in a televised statement Friday that the next stages would see Hamas disarm and Gaza demilitarized.

“If this is achieved the easy way — so be it. If not — it will be achieved the hard way,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli military has said it will continue to operate defensively from the roughly 50% of Gaza it still controls after pulling back to agreed-upon lines.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

In Israel’s ensuing offensive, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and nearly 170,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government, and the United Nations and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.

The war has also triggered other conflicts in the region, sparked worldwide protests and led to allegations of genocide that Israel denies.