Yesterday, on the third day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Palestinians began searching for thousands of Gaza residents believed to still be buried under rubble, as residents expressed shock at the destruction caused during 15 months of war in the enclave.
The truce in the 15-month conflict, which devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East, came into effect on Sunday with the release of the first three hostages held by Hamas and 90 Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons.
Attention is now beginning to shift to the reconstruction of the coastal enclave, which the Israeli military devastated in retaliation for Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023.
According to Israeli data, that attack killed 1.200 people, and about 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. In the ensuing conflict, more than 47.000 Palestinians were killed, the Gaza Ministry of Health claims.
“We are searching for 10.000 martyrs whose bodies remain under the rubble,” said Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Emergency Services.
Displaced Gaza resident Mohamed Gomaa lost his brother and nephew in the war.
“It was a massive shock, and the number of those who felt shocked is countless because of what happened to their homes – it’s destruction, complete annihilation. It’s not like an earthquake or a flood, no, what happened was a war of extermination,” he said.
With an increasing influx of aid into the Palestinian enclave, residents have flocked to markets, and some expressed satisfaction with lower prices and the presence of new food items, including imported goods.
The agreement stipulates the allowance of 600 aid trucks into Gaza each day during the initial six-week ceasefire, including 50 fuel trucks. Half of the aid trucks will be delivered to the north, where experts have warned that famine is inevitable.
“Prices have dropped, the war is over, and the crossing is open for new goods,” said Aya Mohammad-Zaki, a displaced woman from Gaza City, who has been sheltering in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip.
