Palestinians in Gaza remain wary as Israeli strikes ease

The relentless sound of warplanes, the buzz of drones overhead, and the strikes across the Gaza Strip have subsided over the past few days, leaving Palestinians wary of what could come next.

A fragile calm prevails among Palestinians, who have been repeatedly promised truces only to find themselves caught in renewed Israeli fire and strikes.

“Things are relatively quiet. We are hoping that this truce will hold, and the situation improves, and we return to our homes,” said Youssef Maarouf, who was displaced from Jabaliya in northern Gaza and now lives in an overcrowded displacement camp in Gaza City.

For Palestinians in Gaza, President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that Hamas had agreed to disarm was a small sign of hope, but they fear Israel will not withdraw its forces and they will not be able to return to their homes any time soon.

“We handed over their hostages, but to no avail. Disarmament will also not be in our favor,” said Ahmed al-Sharif.

Elsewhere in the tent camp, Abdul Basset Abdul Hadi also said that Palestinians have little faith in truces. He said a few days ago, they “had 12 martyrs in one day.”

Most of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinians are still displaced or live in tent camps, where poor conditions and overcrowding left them wrestling with rodent infestations, poor health conditions and diseases.

“We and our children are dead. We have caught all diseases and cancers,” said Soada Abu Abdu, 64, as she sat helplessly on the floor.