‘At least bloodshed has stopped’: Hope and deep uncertainty in Gaza

Gunfire could still be heard during the night in the Gaza Strip ahead of a widely anticipated ceasefire taking hold, but since Friday at noon, it has officially been in effect, according to the Israeli military.

Among the people on the ground who have experienced airstrikes, displacement and the destruction of their cities for two years, there is a mix of cautious hope and deep uncertainty.

Three people in the coastal strip were reached by dpa via phone and WhatsApp to find out how they were feeling about the ceasefire and the future.

Khamis Othman, 42, a street vendor from Deir al-Balah, said: “We’ve been living in uncertainty for so long that even a rumour of calm feels like a dream.

“My children keep asking me if it’s really over this time, if they can go back to school, if we can go home and sleep without hearing explosions; I don’t know what to tell them.

“People here want to believe, but trust doesn’t come easily any more: We’ve heard about ceasefires before that never lasted.

“Still, we hold on to hope because it’s the only thing that keeps us standing.

“I look around and see everyone rebuilding tents, cooking together, sharing food, maybe it’s our way of preparing for life again, even if we’re not sure what tomorrow will bring.

“I just wish this would be the last war my children ever see.”

Ilham al-Zaanin, 60, a mother of five, from Gaza City now displaced in Deir al-Balah, said: “Over these two years, I’ve seen everything imaginable … We saw slaughter, death, trucks full of bodies, homes crushed into dust.

“I lost two of my nephews, and my house in Gaza City no longer exists.

“There’s no real joy left in our hearts, but at least the bloodshed has stopped for now.

“When I heard people saying the war might finally end, I cried, not out of happiness, but out of exhaustion.

“You reach a point where you can’t cry anymore for the dead; You just pray that no one else joins them.

“I don’t know what will happen politically, or who will rule Gaza next: I only know we need stability, someone to bring food, electricity, schools, hospitals; We can’t live forever as refugees in our own land.

“My hope is that our leaders, all of them, think of the mothers first before thinking of their power.”

Essam Hararah, 55, a teacher from northern Gaza, now sheltering in al-Mawasi in Khan Younis, said: “I hope the negotiations will truly end the human suffering in Gaza: That’s all we’re asking for, a real end, not just words.

“Every day I see children crying because they’re hungry, sick or afraid; The suffering here is beyond description.

“People are tired of politics, of slogans: We just want a normal life, to teach again, to open shops, to rebuild homes, to hear the sea without fear of airstrikes.

“I don’t know if Israel will really withdraw or if another power will come, but what matters most is that people can live in safety.

“I fear that after all this, we might be left in a vacuum, without order or security.

“But despite my fears, I want to believe this time might be different: If both sides keep their word, maybe Gaza can finally breathe again.

“My dream is simple, to walk back to my house, plant a small garden, and never have to flee again.”