Gazans breathe a sigh of relief, return to neighbourhoods destroyed by occupation forces
GAZA – Palestinians headed for the rubble of their former homes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after a ceasefire deal took effect, paving the way for an end to the 15-month-old genocide.
The ceasefire agreement follows months of on-off negotiations brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. It comes into effect on the eve of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Whether or not the initial 42-day ceasefire holds, the deal will provide temporary relief to shell-shocked Gazans, who walked towards cemeteries to visit the graves of martyred relatives, and others rushed towards destroyed neighbourhoods to try to find family members whose bodies remain buried under the rubble.
“I feel like at last I found some water to drink after getting lost in the desert for 15 months. I feel alive again,” Aya Mohammad, 31, told Reuters by chat app from Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, where she had been sheltering with her family after fleeing Gaza City due to “Israeli” attacks.
The ceasefire came into effect at 0915 GMT, nearly three hours after it was meant to begin. During the delay, the Zionist occupation warplanes veered through the Gaza skies and launched strikes, resulting in dozens of martyrs.
