Hamas militants and Egyptian workers search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza City on Wednesday. Seven bodies are believed to still be inside Gaza.Jehad Alshrafi/The Associated Press
The wedding at Al-Zahraa School in the Shujaiya neighbourhood was a simple ceremony in the yard. The school has been serving for months as a shelter for dozens of families.
An Israeli plane targeted the Gaza City location Monday evening, turning the sounds of music and celebration into cries for help. Three young girls were injured and panic spread among the displaced who were sheltering in the nearby classrooms.
Since the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, mediated by international negotiators and backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, went into effect on Oct. 10, Israeli attacks have continued. More than 220 people have been killed and about 470 others injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Here's what you need to know about Gaza and the Israel-Hamas war, including the ceasefire deal, the toll of the war so far and what comes next.
It is a tense grey phase, suspended between neither war nor peace. There is neither full-scale bombing nor a truce restoring life to its normal rhythm. While the ceasefire stopped large-scale bombing, smaller violations continue, preventing meaningful stability from emerging.
“The truce is just a name for us. We hear the planes every night. We hear the shelling,” said Haneen Youssef, 32, a displaced resident of Bureij refugee camp whose house is in a yellow zone, meaning it is too risky to return.
“Nothing has improved in Gaza,” she added. “Medicine is still blocked. Even food has not changed. Many items are not available, and we have not seen the aid. We hear about a truce, but we feel no safety or relief.”
An Israeli soldier sits above ruined buildings during an army-organized tour for journalists in Gaza City on Wednesday.Ohad Zwigenberg/The Associated Press
Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan called for a ceasefire from both sides, withdrawal of Israeli forces to a security line, allowing at least 500 trucks containing food, medicine and other essential supplies daily, and prisoner and hostage exchanges under international supervision.
Hamas released all 20 living hostages on Oct. 13, as per the ceasefire terms, but the return of 28 hostages’ remains has been slow. Six bodies are believed to still be inside Gaza. The remains of one hostage were expected to be released Friday night. The Israeli government accuses Hamas of purposely delaying the recovery. Hamas has said it lacks the equipment to find the remains under the rubble.
As a result, there has been little advance on the next phase of the peace plan, which includes the establishment of an international security force, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, Hamas’s disarmament, long-term governance and reconstruction.
In the absence of a Palestinian or another local authority capable of controlling security or providing services, Gaza resembles a low-intensity war, analysts said. Very few aid trucks have been allowed inside the Strip. The ceasefire has not ended the conflict but changed its form, said Nafez Ghneim, a political activist from Gaza.
“This ongoing approach empties any agreement of its content,” said Mr. Ghneim. “Israel continues to use all possible pretexts to violate the agreement, whether through ongoing shelling, tightening restrictions at crossings, or delaying humanitarian aid trucks.”
Israeli army vehicles are parked among Gaza City’s ruins. In this phase, there is neither full-scale bombing nor a truce restoring life to its normal rhythm in Gaza.Ohad Zwigenberg/The Associated Press
There have been 194 ceasefire violations since Oct. 10 including limited air strikes, gunfire in border areas, partial demolition of buildings and property, and the detention of fuel and humanitarian aid at crossings, according to Ismail Thawabteh, head of the government media office, which is run by Hamas.
Mahmoud Al-Zaq, a member of the political bureau of the Popular Struggle Front, said the conflict is no longer a traditional war on a battlefield. He said Israel is not only seeking security gains but working to destroy the idea of a Palestinian state through continuous destruction of civilian infrastructure, and air strikes that force people to leave their homes.
Israeli planes and tanks pounded areas in eastern Gaza on Oct. 30, Palestinian residents and witnesses say.
Reuters
In the days after the ceasefire, thousands of Palestinians headed back to their homes. But those who returned find themselves amid rubble, trying to repair what they can amid a shortage of building materials and power cuts. Markets are open but nearly empty of goods and customers. Hospitals continue to operate beyond capacity because of shortages of fuel and medicine.
“Slow displacement has become Israel’s new method to achieve its goals without declaring a full-scale war, while the international community hesitates in the face of a worsening humanitarian disaster,” said Mr. Al-Zaq.
Fear is ever-present, residents say, reminding them that the current calm is fragile, and an outbreak of all-out war can happen at any time.