Emotions are running strong as the war in Gaza appears to be winding down, with Phase 1 of an Israel-Hamas peace deal in motion. Early Friday local time, Israel's government ratified the deal and the Israeli military began pulling back from some areas of Gaza. And within days, all hostages taken from Israel should be returned in exchange for an expected 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. President Donald Trump, who brokered the deal, plans to travel to Egypt this weekend for a signing.

In our lead story, by Taylor Luck, Dina Kraft, and Ghada Abdulfattah – reporting from the West Bank, Israel, and Gaza – the humanity rings out. For some, living amid hardship, there’s a sense of caution. “I will not feel happy until things are real,” says a displaced mother of three in Gaza.

But for the father of an Israeli hostage believed to still be alive, the joy is unalloyed: “I feel like I’m walking on clouds.”