New Delhi: Exactly six months after the Israel-Gaza ceasefire started on October 10, Palestinians in the war-battered enclave are experiencing rampant pollution, surging diseases and a grinding status quo where the end of heavy fighting has brought little tangible relief to their shattered lives.
Tens of thousands of people are still in vast tent encampments, while others cling to ruined homes amid debris. Humanitarian and medical teams said that enhanced consignments of aid and supplies were expected, but are yet to arrive, leaving basic needs unmet.
Hope for quick relief is waning fast, residents say. “There is pollution and disease. It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all,” Maysa Abu Jedian, displaced from Beit Lahiya, told the Associated Press from a Khan Younis camp.
Eyad Abu Dagga, enduring the same squalor, remarked, “The war is still ongoing and life is still terrible.”
A scorecard issued on Thursday by five global aid agencies slammed the US-supported 20-point ceasefire framework for humanitarian shortfalls. Gaza’s plight has deepened since the Iran conflict flared, they noted. Aid trucks into the enclave plunged 80% in the first two weeks of March, staple prices skyrocketed, and medical evacuations lag.
Active warfare has ebbed, yet Israeli troops strike and shoot near restricted zones, retaliating for militant fire and violations, Jerusalem says. Hamas and allies have been responding in kind.
Rebuilding Gaza — home to 2 million — demands disarming militants, ousting Hamas’ long rule, international peacekeepers, and massive reconstruction. For now, scant aid passes one Israeli checkpoint, trapping residents in limbo.
Gaza’s Health Ministry, Hamas-affiliated but trusted by the UN and experts for casualty tallies, reported 738 deaths due to Israeli actions since the ceasefire. Total fatalities stand at 72,317 since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.
