Israeli troops began pulling back from some parts of Gaza on Friday under a ceasefire deal with Hamas, and some residents returned to shattered neighborhoods, unsure over their safety 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?"