On Saturday, Hamas was to release four more female Israeli soldiers in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners. Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, families are returning to their hometowns to find themselves in a sea of destruction. According to the UN, there are up to 50 million tons of rubble in Gaza.
Full of hope, they return to what were once their homes. Only to find piles of rubble there. – I was surprised to see this. There is no more home here. This is betrayal. There is nothing left here. You can’t walk the streets. Houses were falling on top of each other. We can be lost because we cannot recognize something. You can feel the bodies of martyrs in the streets, says Nidol Badr, a mother of ten children.
According to the UN, there are 50 million tons of rubble in Gaza. That is, as much of Warsaw was left after the Second World War. It takes 20 years to clean up.
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The Badrov family is not only complaining about the lack of a roof over their heads. Help is coming, but it’s still not enough. – Talking about agreement, ceasefire and aid delivery. We have been here for three days. We can’t find water. We don’t have beds for our children. We rely on this fire all night. I want to have at least wood so that plastic does not burn, – admits Muhammad Badr.
Despite the withdrawal of Israeli forces, residents of Gaza cannot feel safe. The exchange of fire took place after one of the aid vehicles broke down in Rafah. According to The Telegraph, unknown pirates were fighting with Hamas for the delivery of goods.
Aid trucks are forced to trudge through the mud of destroyed roads and residents trying to get what they can from them.
The State of Israel approved the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. What’s in it? Jacek Tacik/Fakty TVN
Concerns about keeping the peace
Despite the lack of anything and the ruins everywhere, Palestinians cannot imagine life anywhere else. – While I was in Gaza, I heard a very simple message: These people do not want to rely on aid. They want to rebuild their lives and want to go back to the places they came from, even if it means pitching a tent on top of the rubble, says Muhannad Hadi, the UN’s humanitarian aid coordinator.
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This shows how attached the people of Gaza are to this place. But this is causing great concern, because although a ceasefire agreement has allowed them to return to what remains of their homes after 15 months of war, they do not know if they will be able to keep it or not.
– In case of such an agreement, trust is needed and it does not exist. The conversation took place with zero confidence. Hamas and Israel look at each other, waiting for someone to break the truce and wondering if it makes sense to keep it. Some kind of critical mass is needed. Society should demand peace. As for Israel, I think most people want it. The Palestinians are also happy that the bombings have stopped, but do not know what to expect, says Professor Yossi Mekelberg, a senior analyst at Chatham House.
Soldiers Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Leary Albagh are scheduled to return to Israel on Saturday. Israel will free 200 Palestinian prisoners from prisons, including murderers serving more than 15 years in prison.
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Main photo source: PAP/EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
