As the long-awaited ceasefire comes into effect, here’s a look – in 6 graphics – at what Gaza is like after 15 months of war.

Guns may have fallen silent in Gaza, but for Mahmoud Abu Dalfa, the agony is not over. He is desperately searching for the bodies of his wife and five children trapped under the rubble of his house since the early months of the war.

Hamas gunmen are guarding aid convoys in Gaza, and its police patrol city streets, sending a clear message: Hamas remains in charge.

For all the military might Israel deployed in Gaza, it failed to remove Hamas from power, one of its central war aims.

As the Gaza ceasefire takes hold, aid workers caution that the toughest challenges are yet to come, describing the truce as only the first step on a long road to recovery.

The ceasefire came into effect Sunday after an initial three-hour delay, during which almost 20 more Palestinians were killed, according to medics in the decimated Palestinian territory. Under the terms of the deal,

It took us a few minutes to accept that this pile of rubble was our home,” said Islam Dahliz, whose family was ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate Rafah in May.

Drone footage captured by The Associated Press shows mounds of rubble stretching as far as the eye can see — remnants of the longest and deadliest war between Israel and Hamas in their blood-ridden history.

Israeli media, carrying live footage from Qatar-based Al Jazeera, is showing the first images of the first three hostages<a class="excerpt-read-more" href=" More

Celebrations erupted across the war-ravaged territory and some Palestinians began returning to their homes despite the delay.

The three women were in stable condition, Sheba Medical Center said, and authorities released footage of them reuniting with their families, hugging fiercely and sobbing.