Truce provides breather for Gazans while revealing extent of destruction

On Sunday morning, the bulldozers were clearing the remains of the southern Gaza town of Al Qarara. Some people were worried as they watched this happen.

They wanted the fighting between Hamas and Israel to stop so that they could find and bring home the bodies of their family members who were stuck under the destroyed buildings.

At last, they can be laid to rest.

For almost seven weeks, many people in the Gaza Strip have been struggling to stay alive, looking for a safe place to stay, running away from the fighting, and trying to get food and water.

The break in fighting has allowed people in Gaza to take a moment to rest and see the damage from the war.

Al Qarara is a town in southern Khan Younis, and recent satellite data shows that there has been a lot of damage to buildings in this area.

CNN video from Deir El Balah, a city in central Gaza, showed lots of people going to the streets and market to buy things that were hard to get for a long time. Now, they are finally available again, at least for a little while.

Speaking to the media in the marketplace, Deir El Balah locals expressed their relief at the truce’s arrival.

One woman named Um Ihab said that Sunday was the first time she went out with her family. We were scared to go outside because we were afraid of getting hit by rockets and airstrikes. “But since the ceasefire started, we have been able to safely go and buy the things we need,” she said.

Another person living here, Um Mohammad, told our reporters that prices have gone way up during the war.

She said that everything seemed really expensive now, unlike before the war. She also said that she’s thankful they can come and feel safe.

On Sunday, there was a lot of action. People were rushing to buy things, kids were running around the vegetable stands, and there was garbage on the streets.

“We want the fighting to stop forever and for the Israeli forces to leave the north. This way, the people who were forced to leave can return home, even if they have to live in tents,” said Abu Udai, a local resident, speaking to CNN.

The ceasefire made many people in Gaza very sad because they could see how much damage has been done for the first time. Many people have died.

Out of the 2 million people in Gaza, 1. 7 million are forced to leave their homes, as reported by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The problem is very serious in the northern parts of Gaza. Some people have stayed there even though the Israeli army has told them to go to the southern part of Gaza.

Under the truce agreement, more help like food and medicine can now go into Gaza.

It was the biggest delivery to the north since October 7th – but it still wasn’t enough to meet the needs of the people.

Hamas said on Saturday night that the truce agreement could be at risk if enough trucks do not deliver aid to northern Gaza, where it is needed the most.

UNRWA said on Sunday that the aid reaching Gaza is not enough.

We need to have 200 trucks per day for two months to help people. Adnan Abu Hasna, a UNRWA media adviser, said that the help coming in right now is just a small amount compared to the huge amount of help that is needed for humanitarian reasons.

Before the war, the United Nations says about 455 trucks went into Gaza every day with aid supplies.

The situation in northern Gaza is not safe. People there don’t have any water to drink or food to eat. That’s why it’s important for us to send aid to help. Today we are also sending groups of vehicles to Gaza City and northern Gaza. The situation for people in southern and northern Gaza is very dangerous.