Disappointment in Gaza at ceasefire’s failure to deliver aid
People on the ground are saying they are not interested in debating governance models for Gaza. What they care about is how their humanitarian needs can be met. They say they’re unable to cope with the current humanitarian calamity that is escalating, compounded by the harsh winter conditions.
They say their needs are massive, with the situation on the ground marked by severe shortages in terms of critical services, education and humanitarian needs.
Gaza needs thousands of tents and houses to shelter those families who have been left stranded after the destruction of their homes. They are living among mountains of rubble that will take years to be removed.
They are watching closely as the Israeli military is still procrastinating over the entry of what is needed. This has been a major source of frustration and disappointment.
People in Gaza say it is a ceasefire in name only, and as long as there is procrastination in meeting these needs, the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate rapidly despite the powerful statements put out by NGOs and UN actors.
Palestinians express doubts over phase two amid unfulfilled obligations
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza have expressed scepticism about Trump’s announcement that the second phase of the ceasefire agreement has begun, amid a continuing humanitarian crisis and ongoing Israeli attacks.
“They haven’t even started the first phase yet. How can they start the second?” said Fayeq al-Helou. “We don’t want it to be like every other time, just words on paper.”
Jaber Mohammed said the announcement was “all lies”. “We’ve been suffering for two years and now starting the third,” he said. “We’re suffering from the lack of food and drink, and from high prices.”
Phase one of Trump’s plan was designed to stop the fighting, facilitate the exchange of captives, set a boundary for Israeli withdrawal, allow the full entry of aid and open the Rafah crossing.
But most of the goals under the plan never became a reality on the ground:
- The attacks did not stop, with Israel killing at least 451 Palestinians and wounding 1,251 since October last year.
- All Israeli captives have been returned from Gaza except for the remains of one, while Israel has not released all the Palestinian prisoners agreed on, a member of the Hamas political bureau says.
- Israel was supposed to withdraw its troops to an area demarcated by the so-called “yellow line”, taking up more than half of Gaza. But Al Jazeera has found that Israeli forces have been moving boundary markers, expanding their areas of control.
- The ceasefire stipulated that “full aid will be immediately sent” into Gaza. But Israel continues to restrict aid, with less than half the number of aid trucks entering that were supposed to have been allowed in, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
- The Rafah crossing was supposed to open, but it remains closed by Israel.
