Gaza six months on: "In reality, there is no such thing as a ceasefire”

Jamil Sawalmeh, country director at ActionAid Palestine, said: “The so-called ceasefire in Gaza was never a real ceasefire. For the last six months, Palestinians in Gaza have continued to wake up almost every day to bombing and attacks by the Israeli army, while continuing to be deprived of sufficient food, adequate shelter, medicines – as well as access to essential services like healthcare and education. 

“Hundreds have been killed and more than 2 million people remain displaced, living in tents or hugely overcrowded shelters in appalling conditions. Rebuilding is impossible: the Israeli army still controls more than half of the territory and continues to carry out systematic demolitions of homes, buildings and other infrastructure. Palestinians are trapped in a painful limbo, unable to move on from the horrors of the last two and a half years and still caught up in a relentless cycle of death and destruction. 

“It’s clear that this genocide is continuing. And the oppression goes beyond Gaza: while the Israeli authorities pursue their apartheid and annexation policies and practices in the West Bank, the Israeli army is now repeating in Lebanon the very same tactics it used in Gaza. This is the devastating but inevitable outcome when repeated and brazen violations of international law, war crimes and crimes against humanity are allowed to occur with impunity. It’s time for third states around the world to take real action to compel the Israeli authorities to change course. Both the occupied Palestinian territory and Lebanon need a real ceasefire that truly protects people, ensures humanitarian support reaches those who need it and stops the state of Israel from pursuing its strategy of death, expulsion and colonial domination.”

Nisreen Jouda is a psychotherapist at Wefaq Association for Women and Child Care, ActionAid’s partner in Gaza. She said in a video interview* from Gaza: 

“The way I see it, the ceasefire only exists in the media. But in reality, the feelings we have now during the ceasefire...I honestly feel afraid going to work these days. Even more than when the ceasefire was not in effect. You would think that a ceasefire means no bombing. But in reality, we hear shooting and gunfire every day. We hear about all of this happening across Gaza. So, in reality, there is no such thing as a ceasefire. Because we still hear shootings, and people are still dying every day. I am afraid wherever I go, because you never know where the next target will be.                          

“What you see in the media shows only a small part of our suffering, of the tragedy of the life we are forced to live. We live in tents, and we wait in line at charity kitchens for food. We wait in queues for water, and we lived through a severe famine.

“Our children are exhausted as well. They wake up already knowing what responsibilities are waiting for them. They used to stand in line at school to buy a sandwich. Now they stand in line for food. And they have to push through crowds just to get water. Sometimes they stand for hours, only to come back empty-handed. Because of the large number of displaced people in the area. And because there is not enough water for everyone.”