Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of Gaza on Friday under a cease-fire deal with Hamas, and some residents returned to shattered neighborhoods amid confusion over when hostilities will be suspended after two years of warfare.

“Thank God my house is still standing,” said Ismail Zayda, 40, in the Sheikh Radwan area in Gaza City. “But the place is destroyed, my neighbors’ houses are destroyed, entire districts have gone. Is it over? They said it is. Why does no one come out and tell us whether there is a ceasefire and we can stop being afraid?”

Israel’s government ratified the cease-fire with Hamas in the early hours of Friday, clearing the way to suspend hostilities in Gaza within 24 hours and free Israeli hostages held there within 72 hours after that. 5

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