‘Each house has dead, injured or detained. People in Gaza have suffered enough’
Mahmoud Sheikh Abed, a forcibly displaced Palestinian from Rafah, southern Gaza, now in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, says he hopes that today is the last day of the war.
“We hope that there won’t be any violations of the ceasefire. The people are tired. We are tired from displacement, illnesses, starvation. We call upon God that this is the last day,” Abed said.
Tareq Zumlot, who was forcibly displaced from Jabalia in northern Gaza and is now in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, shares Abed’s hopes and says they “hope the ceasefire is real and we will return to our homes”.
“I hope we will return to our homes and check upon our beloved ones and we hope that we will have silence and safety,” he said.
Bilal al-Nahawani, forcibly displaced from Rafah and now in Khan Younis, says the people of Gaza are “tired”.
“Each house has people dead, injured or detained. It’s enough, people in Gaza have suffered enough,” he said.
Rafah mayor working to reopen streets, restore ‘life to normal’: Report
The mayor of southern Gaza’s Rafah city says that preparations are being made to reopen the area’s streets, according to the Palestinian Information Center.
“We are preparing to implement a gradual plan to reopen the streets of Rafah city, which includes removing the rubble and debris left behind by the aggression and rehabilitating the roads to ensure the resumption of normal life and safe traffic,” Ahmed al-Sufi said.
He urged residents to be patient and “not rush to return to dangerous areas”.
“We stress the need to make room for emergency crews and specialised teams to work on removing mines and other hazards,” al-Sufi said.
“Our crews will work around the clock in coordination with the relevant authorities to provide basic services and restore life to normal,” he added.
This picture shows an Israeli army tank positioned on a road in the al-Mawasi area in Rafah on December 17
Civil Defence warns residents against rushing to northern Gaza
A spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence has said residents are prohibited from going to the Netzarim Corridor, which splits the northern part of the Gaza Strip from its remainder. The spokesperson calls on Palestinians not to rush to northern Gaza following the ceasefire for “fear of war remnants”.
“The Gaza Strip crisis can only be resolved by an international resolution that allows all crossings to be opened permanently,” the spokesperson said. “Ninety percent of the homes in the northern Gaza Strip were completely or partially destroyed, and returning to them poses a danger,” the spokesperson added.
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