Analysis
Gazans celebrate the ceasefire, but some killings continue
‘We don’t trust Israel, and we don’t trust the United States either, which has always protected it. But what choice do we have but to hope?’
“It’s all over,” a message from Gaza reads at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. The long-awaited announcement has arrived: a deal has been reached, and a ceasefire will begin.
Palestinians in the Strip poured into the streets, especially the youth, with songs and embraces. Members of the civil defense organized a short procession to celebrate the event and the simple fact that they are still alive. “Thank God, we are all okay,” Suheila told us. She and her family, including elderly relatives and small children, left Gaza City just a few days ago, at the start of October.
They had held out as long as possible. “We only left when they arrived right outside our house,” she says. Before that, they had been evacuated at least four times. They pitched their tent on the rocky ground of Deir al-Balah, but now they can’t wait to go back. “We hope our house is still standing. It’s possible – we were there just a week ago. We need to get back to living. I am so tired. Some days, I don’t even have the strength to talk to my son.”
Everyone is preparing to return – not only to Gaza City but also further north, where the destruction is total. But the Israeli army has threatened to use force against Palestinians who try to make the journey. There are several reports of attacks and injuries along al-Rashid Street.
The National Committee for Ambulances and Emergencies has issued guidelines for anyone deciding to travel in these hours: wait for instructions from official authorities, ensure that Israeli soldiers have withdrawn from the roads, and avoid large gatherings during the return. Ambulances will be deployed along the route to provide assistance, from the southern town of al-Qarara up to the Nabulsi roundabout on al-Rashid Street, southwest of Gaza City.
Once the agreement is ratified, humanitarian aid will start entering through five crossings along the Strip. The Rafah crossing is expected to immediately supply food and medicine to the hospitals and the refugees crammed into the south – 400 trucks a day for the first five days, according to Egyptian sources. The director of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, joined UN Secretary-General António Guterres in calling for the crossings to be opened immediately: “We must act now to provide life-saving food and assistance. There is no time to waste.” Gaza lacks everything. “We need heavy equipment to move the rubble, so we can start to fix things ourselves,” a man named Jamal explained.
There are plenty of doubts about the future, and there is fear that after the hostages are released, Tel Aviv could find any pretext to resume the bombing. “We don’t trust Israel,” Jamal continued, “and we don’t trust the United States either, which has always protected it. But what choice do we have but to hope?” Israeli attacks have not yet stopped, though they have been reduced from previous days. At least 13 people were killed between Wednesday and Thursday. More bodies have been pulled from the rubble. Khan Younis was bombed several times on Thursday by planes and drones, as were the al-Zaytoun neighborhood and the al-Yarmouk school in Gaza City.
As soon as news of the agreement broke, settlers in the West Bank unleashed their “revenge.” It is a script that repeats itself every time the end of the bombing in Gaza seems near. Dozens of settlers occupied the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, pitching tents between residents’ homes. In Deir Jarir, a village near Ramallah, they killed a 26-year-old man on Wednesday and wounded three others. Other groups have assaulted farmers and shepherds, raiding Palestinian olive groves and property, and one settler attempted to run over children in Masafer Yatta.
The Israeli army also carried out raids and arrests throughout the occupied West Bank, in Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Tulkarem. In Hebron, three Palestinian boys, ages 14 and 16, were wounded during a raid. And on the orders of the Jewish supremacist minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Israeli forces arrested the current and former presidents of the Union of Palestinian Charitable Societies, raiding their headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem to prevent an event organized under the auspices of the Palestinian National Authority.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/nella-striscia-si-celebra-la-fortuna-di-essere-vivi on 2025-10-10