Gaza awaits ceasefire, fearing last-minute catastrophes

Civilians in Gaza are anxiously awaiting Friday a respite after 15 months of incessant fighting, as the Israeli cabinet meets in Jerusalem to reach a temporary ceasefire deal with Hamas.

As they waited, Israel shot down the missile and shot down the plane, killing at least 113 people since the deal was first agreed on Wednesday night, according to the Hamas-run Gaza-based security agency.

The deal, which was finalized on Friday afternoon, is due to come into force on Sunday, leaving more than 24 hours for Gazans to rest.

“Time is moving more slowly than before,” said Dr Abdallah Shabir, 27, an emergency physician at Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. “Any minute you could lose your life,” he said. “Staying at home, walking on the street – no warning.”

Dr Shabir was working at the hospital on Wednesday night when the news of the ceasefire agreement reached. There was a brief moment of joy, he said, but less than an hour separated the announcement from the start of the storm that sent a flood of dead and wounded to Baptist.

Every employee was invited. “It was as bad as we’ve seen before,” said Dr Shabir, by phone from the hospital. “Severe injuries, severe burns. Many are dead, of course.”

Among the dead brought in Thursday was his friend, Hala Abu Ahmed, a 27-year-old internal medicine specialist who two Baptist friends described as a dedicated and trustworthy young doctor and a compassionate person.

He worked hard and under great pressure for 15 months, since the war began, said Dr Ahmad Eliwah, head of the emergency department, and was killed after agreeing to a ceasefire.

Among the millions of refugees in the pipeline, many were waiting on Friday to return home for the first time since the war began. Many will find bombed areas instead of their homes.

“My house is completely destroyed, the house is gone,” said Sabreen Doshan, 45, who owned a street stall and lives in a residential area in Gaza City.

Doshan has lost 17 members of his family since the war began, he said. He was ready to leave Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, where he has been living in a tent, to the ruins of his home.

“Even if I put my tent on the ruins, it will be fine, because I will be at home,” he said. “No one can satisfy me now except my home.”

The destruction of the Gaza Strip is massive. According to the United Nations Satellite Center’s latest assessment, 69% of all infrastructure and 68% of roads have been damaged or destroyed, as of December. About 46,700 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel began cracking down on Hamas in Gaza in October 2023, after the group attacked southern Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and taking 251 prisoners.

For Gazans, the joy of the long-awaited ceasefire has been tempered by the scale of death and destruction. “By God, I have mixed feelings,” said Wael Muhammad, a freelance journalist living in a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

“From one moment to another, from joy to pain,” he said. “I’m glad the blood flow will stop, but we’re living in misery.”

On Friday afternoon, the ceasefire agreement was going through Israeli politicians for final approval. This paves the way for the first group of three hostages to be released from Sunday, to be exchanged for 95 Palestinian prisoners.

But the exchange, which will take place over the next six weeks, has the potential to collapse.

“The main issue is whether the end of the war will be successful,” said Juliette Touma, director of communications for the United Nations refugee agency UNRWA.

“If that is the case, then the problem that is coming is still very big. Most of the residential areas are full of people. Most of them are living outside, or in temporary houses. They lack basic things like warm clothes. They are not suitable conditions for people.

In Gaza on Friday, some focused on Sunday, and whether they could relax without the deal.

“We are afraid of any change, any movement,” said Khalil Nateel, 30, whose home in Jabalia in the northernmost part of the Gaza Strip was destroyed at the start of the war.

“This story is happening,” said Nateel, from the central Gaza Strip. “We’re watching and waiting.”