Humanitarian aid enters the besieged enclave as a four-day “truce” in the Gaza War begins; residents predict that the nightmare will return soon
Gaza residents in Palestine began getting much-needed relief from Egypt on Friday, when a four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began. The shipments included food, gasoline, water, and medical supplies. The assistance is entering the besieged enclave, which has been completely cut off from the outside world by Israel since October 7, via the Rafah border.
At least 12 people were killed in a hit that destroyed a residential structure in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza only hours before the “ceasefire” agreement went into effect, according to authorities at the adjacent Al-Aqsa Hospital. Seven further civilians were reportedly injured by Israeli soldiers while trying to return to their homes in northern Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Thousands of Palestinians who were forced from their homes and sought safety in the southern part of Gaza have received warnings from the Israeli military not to try to go back to the northern half of the enclave, which is the target of Israel’s ground attack.
The Hamas organization promised to release at least 50 of the approximately 240 captives it and other terrorists abducted during their raid on Israel on October 7 as part of the truce agreement. For every hostage that is freed, Israel is required to release three Palestinian detainees. Over the course of the following four days, the releases will happen gradually.
When a truce was declared, many Gazans were relieved, but many were also afraid that the “nightmare” would resume soon. “To rebuild Gaza again, we need years and decades more—we need thousands of trucks,” a Gaza resident told Al Jazeera.
Israel has said unequivocally that the ceasefire does not mean that the conflict is over. After the truce expires, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would continue the conflict, which has already claimed the lives of nearly 13,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis.
