The residents of Gaza are facing severe difficulties in managing their daily lives despite the cessation of gunfire and warplanes following the temporary ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Displaced Gazans carry heavy water containers through muddy streets, searching through rubble for clothing, while experiencing pain and sorrow for their lost loved ones and lamenting the homes reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment.
At a water station in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, individuals filled plastic containers and transported them to their homes or shelters using donkey carts, by their own strength, bicycles, shopping carts, hand trucks, or even wheelchairs. Rami Al-Razq, displaced with his family from their home in Gaza City, stated that they face great difficulty every day in obtaining water since leaving their homes, even after the ceasefire.
Now in its fifth day, the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has allowed for an increasing number of aid trucks to enter Gaza from Egypt; however, humanitarian needs are so immense that many residents of Gaza have not felt any significant impact. Muath Hamdan, who was waiting at a water station, expressed that there is no difference between a ceasefire or not, as they still lack electricity, water, and any essential necessities.
Rain fell as a stream of children and adults poured through the mud and puddles towards the water station. Searching for water was the main activity visible in the streets.
In another area of Khan Younis, Maryam Abu Rajila returned to her home, which had been reduced to rubble by an Israeli airstrike, to find clothing for her children. The family is now sheltering in a classroom in a school along with many others. Maryam stated that the war destroyed her home and shattered her dreams, adding that the four-day ceasefire was too short, and they found themselves lamenting their situation before returning empty-handed.
In another part of town, Yasser Abu Shamlah walked across a pile of rubble that had once been his home, where he lost over 30 relatives, including his parents, siblings, and cousins. He returned to this site because his cousin remains trapped under the debris and no one has been able to retrieve him; he also came to relive painful memories.
Abu Shamlah mentioned that he survived because he and his wife and their five children live in another building. He diligently picked through the debris, seeking to salvage items from his former home, but he struggled to dig through the rubble as this required equipment and tools he does not possess. He questioned the benefit of the ceasefire if they cannot remove the debris and search for all the missing to honor the deceased with burial.
Ahmed Al-Najjar, a resident of Khan Younis, remarked that a four-day ceasefire would not suffice to ease their pain, regardless if it lasted forty days or four years.
