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During the dawn of Thursday, there was minimal celebration in Gaza. The news of the approaching truce had circulated quickly across the devastated territory in the dark hours, with a few gunshots fired into the sky as a form of jubilation, however when daybreak appeared the atmosphere turned to tense anticipation.

“Everyone is still afraid,” said a 26-year-old woman in al-Mawasi, the squalid, overcrowded coastal strip where much of the population has sought shelter within provisional structures and vinyl dwellings.

“We look forward to an official announcement along with concrete assurances for opening the crossings, allowing food deliveries, and halting the violence, destruction and population transfers.”

In the vicinity, an elderly resident Abbas Hassouna said he and his family were hoping for an official announcement and real guarantees for opening the crossings, facilitating nourishment delivery, and stopping the killing, demolition and eviction”.

“After witnessing these changes, only then will we truly believe them. However currently, fear remains. Parties might renege without warning or break the agreement similar to past occasions stranding us within the perpetual loop devoid of progress except more suffering,” said Hassouna, a native of Gaza’s north but has been displaced repeatedly.

Mixed Emotions Within Inhabitants

Ola al-Nazli, 47 explained she heard about the truce via local residents in the al-Mawasi zone. “I did not know how to feel, if I should celebrate or sad. We’ve encountered similar situations repeatedly in the past, and on each occasion we were disappointed again, so this time anxiety and prudence have reached new heights,” said Nazli, who had to abandon her dwelling in the urban center because of the recent armed conflict there.

“Everyone lives in tents that fail to safeguard from the cold or amid explosions. Those who had money or occupations were stripped of all assets. Consequently our happiness is mixed with pain and fear. My sole wish that we can live protected, not hear the sound of bombs, not be forced to move, and that border passages will open soon,” said Nazli.

Humanitarian Arrangements Ongoing

Aid agencies said they were preparing to inundate Gaza with sustenance and other essential supplies. The detailed strategy includes provisions for a boost to relief efforts. The World Health Organization chief, the health organization’s leader, said his agency was prepared to expand operations to respond to urgent healthcare demands throughout the territory, and facilitate reconstruction of the ruined healthcare network”.

The UN agency dedicated to refugee assistance, applauded the arrangement as a “huge relief”, and stated it possessed adequate stored provisions outside Gaza to provide for the battered region’s 2.3m population for the coming three months. While increased support has arrived in the region during previous days, supplies continue to be highly deficient, humanitarian workers reported.

Hope and Anxiety Within Evacuated Residents

A resident called Jihad al-Hilu heard the news regarding the truce via radio broadcast while residing in his temporary dwelling in al-Mawasi. “At that moment, I experienced a combination of joy and relief, like a glimmer of optimism reentered my soul subsequent to prolonged anticipation. We desperately wanted this occasion, for violence to cease and for the slaughter that have shattered countless households to finish,” Hilu in his thirties shared.

“Concurrently, prevails substantial anxiety present among us. We are concerned that this peace arrangement could be short-lived and that the war might resume similar to previous occasions.”

There are also general worries about what peace could deliver to the territory, where more than 90% of homes have suffered destruction or leveled, nearly every facility obliterated and where many people experience daily hunger. Approximately 67,000 individuals mostly civilians have been killed by the Israeli offensive launched in the aftermath the militant attack during late 2023, that resulted in 1,200 deaths also primarily non-combatants and saw 251 taken hostage by militants.

“My primary concern above all else is the lack of security. Hunger can be endured, yet insecurity is the real disaster. I am concerned that the region may transform into a place of chaos dominated by militias and paramilitary organizations instead of law and order.”

Current Situation

Witnesses said military personnel discharged artillery to stop individuals reentering the northern sector of the territory on Thursday morning yet mentioned lack of battle sounds or aerial bombardments.

A resident named Nadra Hamadeh, who lost her sister, her relative, two young relatives and her daughter’s husband perished during the conflict, said she hoped to come back from al-Mawasi to northern Gaza as soon as possible to check on her home, which she believes to be damaged yet remains standing.

“I feel profound sadness for those who lost their families and children and properties … Concerning our case, we anticipate revisiting our dwelling that we were forced to abandon. It feels still as if our souls were extracted from our beings at the time of evacuation,” Hamadeh, 57 commented.

“We desire that hostilities cease,