Around 90 percent of Gaza's inhabitants were forced to flee.

After the ceasefire, many of them have returned – to a city they no longer recognize.

"There was nothing left. Just some clothes, pieces of wood and pots," a resident of Khan Younis told Sky News.

Tens of thousands of Gazans have returned since the ceasefire took effect on Friday, but for the vast majority, only rubble remains of what was once their home.

It's only been a few weeks since 40-year-old Abdel Fattah al-Kurdi left Gaza City, but he no longer recognizes himself.

“The city looks completely different, as if it is no longer the Gaza we once knew. In just a short time, massive devastation has spread everywhere. Almost all the houses are destroyed, the streets are blocked,” he tells The Guardian after returning to his home in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.

Palestinians in Gaza testify to the first silent night since the war broke out two years ago.

– The only thing hovering over Gaza tonight is hope. No drones. No bombs. Just silence, a sound so unusual here that it almost feels strange, says one of Al Jazeera's employees.

At the same time as hope appears, they are also met by people retrieving dead bodies from under the rubble, a resident of Khan Younis tells Sky News.

“There was nothing left. Just some clothes, pieces of wood and pots,” she says.

“There wasn’t much joy, but the ceasefire eased the pain somewhat from death and bloodshed, and the pain for our loved ones and brothers who suffered in this war,” says another.

The ceasefire is the first step towards a lasting peace, according to the American peace plan.