Palestinians are temporarily safe from bombing, but the UN said Gaza had seen an “intensification” of Israeli strikes before the truce.
Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip are enjoying a second day of relative calm, without Israeli attacks, as a temporary break in the fighting.
After nearly 50 days of constant Israeli bombardment that killed nearly 15,000 Palestinians in the enclave, a four-day truce took effect Friday morning and appeared to be proceeding unhindered Saturday.
But the United Nations said Friday that “the 24 hours preceding the break witnessed an intensification of Israeli air, land and sea strikes” across the Gaza Strip.
The temporary truce allowed the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza – where no place has proven safe for the past seven weeks – to experience their first night of sleep without fear of being killed in an Israeli air raid.
It also gave families time to try to stock up on food and water, which had become scarce due to the relentless assault on the besieged enclave.
Some chose to return to northern parts of Gaza – which saw the worst fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas – amid a ground invasion of the area by Israeli troops backed by heavy machinery and airstrikes . Several Palestinians were killed as they headed north despite Israel ordering them to stay in the south.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said some Palestinians had the chance to visit their surviving family members.
“It is also an opportunity for those who have lost loved ones, friends or family members to pay their respects and offer them a prayer, because funeral processions and proper burials were not available. not allowed due to intense bombardment and incessant airstrikes,” Mahmoud said.
Other prisoners will be released
Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Omar on Saturday shared a video – verified by Tel Aviv Tribune – that shows a man searching for his family’s clothes under the rubble of their home in Gaza, which was destroyed in the Israeli attack.
Palestinian photojournalist Magdi Fathi has documented the testimonies of several displaced women who say nothing remains of their homes in Khan Younis amid Israeli bombing of the enclave.
“I came home to take out some things, but I found nothing. The Israeli army destroyed the place in a way we did not expect,” said one woman, who was among thousands of people who returned to their neighborhoods after the truce began yesterday.
Another woman, a resident of Khuzaa, in eastern Khan Younis, said she was “shocked” by what she discovered. “The destruction is very significant,” she said.
Khan Younis is one of the southern towns to which Israel ordered residents of northern Gaza to evacuate, but it has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli forces.
As part of the truce, 24 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza were released on Friday, including 13 Israelis. Others are expected to be released, with the Israeli prime minister’s office saying it received a list of captives to be released on Saturday. Reports indicate that 42 Palestinians are expected to be released in exchange for 14 captives in Gaza.
Friday also saw the release of 39 Palestinian women and children detained by Israel, some for years. They returned to their homes in the occupied West Bank.
During the four-day break, at least 50 people are expected to be released by Hamas, leaving around 190 captives in Gaza. In exchange, 150 Palestinians should be released by Israel.
The truce, which could potentially be extended, has allowed first aid to arrive since the start of the war in northern Gaza.
