Young Palestinians in Gaza have described a mixture of hope, relief and terror ahead of the ceasefire agreement, which was agreed on Wednesday and is expected to come into effect on Sunday.
-Palestinian boys stand near a damaged tent for displaced people, after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Friday.Hatem Khaled/Reuters
Scenes of jubilation emerged across the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, shortly after Israel and Hamas agreed on the ceasefire and hostage deal.
“After a year and a half of genocide in Gaza… There were shouts of takbirs (God is great) and cheers,” Raghad Ezzat Hamouda, a 20-year-old woman displaced in Gaza City said Thursday. “I cannot believe that the war will end. The massacres, blood and bombing will end,” she said.
Fadi Adwan, an engineering student in his early twenties who is displaced with relatives in southern Gaza, told CNN: “It’s like a miracle happened here … We lost a lot, but we are happy because we survived.”
Others told CNN they are worried they will not survive to see the implementation of the ceasefire, as Israeli bombardment in northern and central Gaza has killed more than a hundred people since Wednesday night. At least 116 people, including 30 children, have been killed by those strikes since the deal was announced, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense.
The Israeli military told CNN on Thursday it “conducted strikes on approximately 50 terror targets across the Gaza Strip.”
Twenty-one-year-old Wassim Khalifa, who is displaced in the Al-Shati camp area west of Gaza City, said that the ceasefire couldn’t come soon enough.
“Until this moment, (we) are still afraid and worried about what will happen during these days. Before the truce, there is always madness in the intensity of the bombing,” he said. “We hope that God will keep everyone safe.”
“After long patience, destruction, siege, loss of our loved ones, destruction of our homes, our fatigue and misery… the ceasefire will be implemented in a few days, God willing,” Khalifa added.
CNN
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