Palestinians, who had been taking refuge in Khan Yunis for months, return home (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jubilant celebrations have erupted across the Gaza Strip after a fragile ceasefire ended 15-months of war.
The brutal conflict between and Hamas has reduced much of Palestine to rubble and ruins and displaced most of its 2.3 million population.
Yet despite unimaginable destruction, suffering and loss of life, there was hope as hostilities officially ended at 11.15am local time sparkling joy and a rush to return home.
Gaza resident Om Salah said: “My joy is beyond measure.
“From the moment they announced the ceasefire, I quickly packed all my things because I am ready to go to Gaza City. My children are extremely happy to go and see our families, relatives and our lands.
“Here, we are always scared and worried, but back home we will be very happy, and joy will come back to our lives.”
After months of attritional war during which the sound of heavy shelling, fighter jets and drones became a daily soundtrack, the sound of gunfire in the battle-scared streets of Palestine was celebratory.
The death toll from a conflict that erupted after the Hamas massacre in on October 7, 2023 is thought to stand at 47,000 but the true figure could be significantly higher.
At least 1,139 people were killed in during the incursion and about 250 were taken captive.
Smoke, rising over destroyed and heavily damaged residential areas in Gaza (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
The tentative ceasefire agreement will see fighting paused and the release of hostages s natched during the attack on southern , in exchange for the release of Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The multi-stage deal, brokered by mediators the United States, Qatar and Egypt, will also mean a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged enclave.
On a day when hope returned to the powder keg Middle East, around 200 aid delivery trucks, including those ferrying fuel, queued at the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. The border point is being used until the completion of maintenance and repair work at the Rafah crossing into southern Gaza from Egypt.
Aid entry to Gaza, where food, water and fuel have been in scarce supply, will begin the painstaking process of life returning to a sense of normality.
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the UK Disasters Emergency Committee, said: “After so many months of suffering caused by this conflict, we hope this ceasefire can provide some relief to millions of people whose lives have been devastated. DEC member charities and their local partners are hopeful it will provide them with a vital chance to scale up their programmes in Gaza and reach many more people in need. People are living in unbearably harsh conditions without access to the basic supplies they need to survive.
“The generous donations by the UK public have already enabled our member charities and their local partners to reach some of the most vulnerable with support, and with increased aid access they could do so much more. Please donate now.”
Palestinians who had taken refuge in Khan Yunis start the return home (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Kind-hearted Brits responded to the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal launched in October by raising more than £39 million. The donations are already making a difference to people across Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Syria, but more funds are needed to meet the overwhelming levels of humanitarian need.
With a ceasefire in place, albeit a fragile one, member charities are hopeful of “rapidly scaling up” their operations as much as current restrictions allow.
The window provides the first critical chance in 15-months to deliver urgently needed food, shelter, water and medical care during what those on the ground describe as an unbearably harsh winter.
For the hostages and their families in , it offers hope of reunion, after months of suffering and grief.
In Gaza, 1.8 million people are facing acute shortages of food, with soaring prices at local markets as supplies have become increasingly scarce. Cold weather and rain in recent weeks have further worsened conditions in camps, with tents flooding and cold temperatures causing sickness amid a dire shortage of medical care and widespread malnutrition.
New aid access routes and the opportunity to use existing routes more widely because of the ceasefire will also humanitarian charities including the DEC, a coalition of 15 aid charities working to coordinate UK relief for overseas catastrophes, to increase the amount of food and other urgent aid into Gaza.
Some bakeries, hospitals and other essential facilities that were forced to close during the conflict are expected to reopen, and with fewer restrictions on movement within the Gaza strip, lifesaving services such as water trucking and medical care can be expanded.
Charities have already been providing winter essentials, including warm bedding and clothes, clean drinking water and fresh food.
Riham Jafari, of ActionAid Palestine, said: “Now that a ceasefire has been announced, more aid must be allowed into Gaza immediately. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. In the coming days our colleagues and partners in Gaza will be scaling up their vital work distributing essentials to those in need, as well as providing psychosocial and other support.”