‘We lost a lot of people’: Gaza cautiously awaits ceasefire as bombing continues Israel-Palestine conflict news

Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – Palestinians in the Gaza Strip woke up to the sound of renewed bombardment on Thursday, heartening the news that a ceasefire had been agreed between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas the night before.

They hope the announcement will bring an end to Israel’s 15-month war, which has left more than 46,700 Palestinians dead and thousands missing. But his memories of the war will not fade away soon.

In Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, many people have been displaced from other areas of the enclave after fleeing their homes in the wake of Israeli attacks or Israeli orders to leave or facing bombardment.

They have struggled to survive. Many people have lost their nearest and dearest and feel lucky to be alive. But what will happen next is still unknown. And with the devastation throughout Gaza so evident and Israel unwilling to leave the territory alone, many dangers lie ahead.

The day after the ceasefire was announced on Wednesday, Al Jazeera spoke to people in Deir al-Balah as they await its implementation on Sunday. Here’s what they had to say:

more shocks yet to come

Nahed al-Wer is a psychiatrist who was displaced from the Burij refugee camp with her family after their home was destroyed at the beginning of the war. He now works at the Deir al-Balah clinic and also volunteers to meet people seeking psychological support for the trauma they have gone through during the war.

it feels great. We are very happy. It seems as if it is Eid. We hope that this spirit will last forever and that we will not have to see any more bloodshed. We hope we never see this again and we don’t have to go through this experience again. We lost all the people. I lost my brother, nephew, another nephew and another relative.

I am concerned that we will see more tensions in the coming days. This is the nature of Israeli politicians. Before the ceasefire is signed or before the ceasefire comes into force, they continuously try to increase the killing even more. The pace of killing increases. In 2014, on the last day of the war, I lost my sister and her children.

There is still great concern that the Israeli leadership could withdraw from the agreements and the pace of killings has increased in the last two or three days, so I pray to God that this does not happen.

After the war, a large number of people will suffer from very difficult psychological conditions – from stress and fear and the terrors of what they have gone through. It is possible that these conditions and psychological fatigue may worsen and lead to depression.

These people must be treated. A few days ago also the case of an elderly woman, whose son had passed away, came to me. She suffered from serious mental health problems and began psychotherapy sessions to help her condition.

‘We lost many dear and precious people’

Yasmin al-Helo is a mother of one, originally from Shujaiya, a suburb of Gaza City. She had been displaced from Deir al-Balah a year earlier.

Honestly, my feelings are indescribable. It was a matter of great joy, I cried and was happy at the same time. I cried over things that happened to us. It wasn’t easy and it hurts a lot. People’s hearts are wounded. The experience was a heavy burden and very difficult.

We lost people. Some are missing, some were captured (by Israel) and some were martyred. Generally, I am happy that the bloodshed and violence is about to stop, but at the same time, I am also sad because we have lost many dear and precious people. But it happened, and you can just pray to God.

God willing, the ceasefire will not be broken and will continue this time too. Honestly, I would have preferred an immediate ceasefire because these two difficult days have been worse than the entire last year. They want to intensify the bombing and madness that they are doing.

Hope for treatment abroad

Mohammed al-Mudawi Khan was receiving physical treatment for a spinal cord injury that had left his legs paralyzed at Al-Amal Hospital in Yunis, when he said he was taken by Israeli forces and executed on 7 October. , 2023, was accused of involvement in Hamas-led attacks. Southern Israel, which he denies. He says he was detained for about a month in January 2024, during which he was beaten.

The treatment was very bad. As a result of medical neglect, I developed an ulcer. I was not allowed to move. When they laid me on my right side or left side, they did not rotate me and because of this I got ulcers. My hands turned blue due to the constant pressure of the handcuffs.

My health deteriorated due to lack of nutrition. They did not feed us. We were blindfolded. We had no idea what they were making us drink. They even cut my legs to see if I could feel them. When I started bleeding, no care was taken to bandage it. I hope that since I am disabled, I can now be sent abroad for treatment.

Because of the ceasefire I am now optimistic and hopeful. Yesterday I laughed for the first time since the war started. This moment is amazing, especially for my children. May God have mercy on the souls of the martyrs.

‘We will never forget’

Saleh Aljafarawi is a 27-year-old journalist who was displaced from northern Gaza during the war. He has become famous in Gaza for his videos covering the war and says he has received several threats from Israel for his work.

It was a bad experience, it was the worst experience of my life. The scenes and situations I went through during these 467 days will not be erased from my memory. We will never forget the circumstances we faced.

But today the feelings of happiness at the end of this war make us forget a little bit what we have gone through. May God maintain safety and security for us in the Gaza Strip. After the war ends, we will return to the northern Gaza Strip, even if our homes are destroyed and nothing remains of them. God willing, we will rebuild them.

We paid a huge price in this war. We lost our colleagues, we lost our families, we lost our friends. We were deprived of the simplest things you can imagine. We were deprived of being with our families for 467 days.

To be honest, I lived in fear every moment, especially after hearing what the Israeli occupation was saying about me. I was living life moment by moment, not knowing what the next moment would bring.

There are still two days left (until the ceasefire), and hopefully God will make it easy for us.