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As the two-year-long war between Israel and Hamas has come to an end, Palestinians in Gaza breathed a sigh of relief on Monday that Israel halted its military offensive in the territory, and that hostages and prisoners were exchanged based on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace agreement signed by Israel and Hamas during indirect talks in Egypt last week.
Still, many Palestinians believe there’s little to celebrate. Two years of continuous violence has left the territory in a state of ruins. The cities have been reduced to rubble, the health system devastated and over 67,000 killed, with hundreds of thousands displaced, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Despite Hamas securing the release of close to 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israeli prisons in exchange for the remaining 20 living hostages, some in Gaza believe that the achievement is not worth the cost.
Saed Abu Aita, who has been displaced in central Gaza, said, “It’s important that the bombing has stopped, but there’s nothing to be happy about. My two daughters were killed, my home was destroyed and my health has deteriorated,” New York Times reported.
As part of the ceasefire agreement, Israel has allowed a surge of supplies and aid which is desperately needed in the famine-stricken territory of Gaza. The United Nations on Sunday said it was working to boost its aid supplies to Gaza, including supplying cooking gas for the first time since March.
In the crucial implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire deal after Hamas returned all living hostages, emotional scenes of families reuniting with Israeli hostages were captured with screams, cries and happiness as they embraced their loved ones.
And for the Palestinians freed from Israeli jails, crowds waving flags greeted them joyfully as they crossed over in buses to Gaza and occupied West Bank.
Arbel Yehoud, a former hostage herself who was released on Monday, said “I am overwhelmed with emotion and joy. For over two years, the hope of holding Ariel again is what sustained and drove me every single day.”
(with inputs from New York Times)
