Palestinians in Gaza fear ceasefire ‘could collapse at any moment’ | Gaza
İsmail Baba had been dreaming of a ceasefire for two years. The father of four had been displaced 11 times during the war in Gaza and was struggling to find enough food for his children amid a worsening hunger crisis.
When a ceasefire was declared last week, Baba thought he could finally relax. Although his home was still plagued by chaos, at least he knew that his family would not be hit by an Israeli bomb.
But the temporary peace was shattered by a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Sunday morning after Israel claimed Hamas militants had targeted its troops in southern Gaza.
“I felt like the false sense of security we had been suffering from was over. We had started to move freely between areas again, and now we are back to fear and caution,” said the 48-year-old from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.
Nine days into the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza are increasingly worried that the fragile ceasefire could be broken and full-scale war could resume. They had been here before; The ceasefire ended in March as Israel continued bombing and refused to move to the second phase of a ceasefire that would have permanently ended the war.
There are parallels with last March. Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire to facilitate the return of Israeli hostages, but deep disagreements remain over how to implement the second phase of a permanent ceasefire plan prepared by the United States.
On Sunday, citizens wondered whether the ceasefire was still valid. Israel launched a wave of airstrikes targeting the south, north and central Gaza in response to an attack on its soldiers by Hamas militants earlier in the day.
“I am afraid that the ceasefire could be broken at any moment, especially now. Since the ceasefire began, not a single day has passed without attacks and casualties. But still we cannot say a word,” said the father.
A funeral was held in Gaza City on Saturday for the victims of the Israeli attack the previous day. The car, carrying a family who wanted to check their home in Gaza City, had passed over the withdrawal line, which marks where Israeli troops are still operating in Gaza. Israeli tanks fired two shots at the car, killing 11 people from the Abu Shabaan family, including seven children.
“Pieces, pieces, pieces. All of them. Pieces. I don’t know whether I’m saying goodbye to my son or my daughter,” Umm Mohammed Shaaban told Al Jazeera while attending her family’s funeral.
Israeli troops still occupy about 50 percent of Gaza, and that area is marked by a thick yellow line on maps where civilians can go during the first phase of the ceasefire. Civil defense officials said it was impossible for people to know when they had crossed the line.
Israeli officials later said they would physically mark the line with large concrete blocks. A man who attended the funeral of the Abu Shabaan family told Al Jazeera, “The ceasefire is fragile, the ceasefire is on paper. We are dying on the ground. This is the truth, this is the ceasefire. A red colored ceasefire, everything is blood.”
Despite the intense day of violence, Palestinians still held out hope that the two sides could resolve their dispute and the ceasefire could continue. After a brief moment of relief, the return of Israeli bombardment was an unimaginably painful nightmare.
Baba said, “I hope the ceasefire will continue, our social, economic and political life will improve and one day we can return to our homeland. I know that the north has become a disaster zone, unfit for living, but we still have the desire to rebuild and start over. This can only happen if the ceasefire continues.”
