second day of relative calm in Gaza… while waiting for a ceasefire

The military pause decreed by Israel in the south of the Palestinian territory is taking shape on the ground, at least during the day. International authorities continue to call for a ceasefire to save Gaza which must manage shortages, record inflation and trafficking of all kinds.

The first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha coincided on Sunday June 16 with the announcement by the Israeli army of a pause in its operations in southern Gaza, to facilitate the delivery of aid humanitarian aid, which Gazans desperately need. This break was set between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., on a road section of around ten kilometers which extends from the extreme south of the Gaza Strip to the European hospital in Rafah, further north.

It is not yet the desired peace, but for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, it has the merit of existing while they face shortages, record inflation and trafficking of all kinds. “It’s another problem here in Gaza : there are many thieves, testifies Asma. People who get on the (humanitarian) truck and who fly. Because we don’t have armed people who can guard the humanitarian aid until it reaches the stockpile.”

Kerem Shalom, in the southeast of the Gaza Strip, is today the only crossing point for humanitarian aid since the Israeli army launched its ground offensive on Rafah, a border town with Egypt, and took control of the border post.

Beyond the diversion of humanitarian aid, Gaza is especially faced with enormous shortages: there is no meat, no vegetables, no canned goods, not much apart from a little flour.

Another major problem: the water supply, which only flows from the tap for one or two hours a day. As for drinking water in northern Gaza, it is rationed: 16 liters per household for five days. Rare and expensive water. The 16 liters per household cost 3 euros.

This pause, decreed by Israel, does not concern the entire territory, particularly at night. The spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense, Mahmoud Basal, recalled that the Israeli army continues to strike, with two nightly bombings on an apartment and a house, “causing martyrs, including a child and an elderly man”. The two victims were transferred to this hospital. “The rest of the Gaza Strip is relatively calm”added the Gazan official.

Tank fire was also recorded south and east of Rafah, according to testimony from local officials. A strike was recorded at the Boureij camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip. At least 10 people have been killed in the last 24 hours, the Hamas Ministry of Health said Monday, June 17, in a new press release listing 37,347 deaths since October 2023.

Hence the unequivocal comments of James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund: Gazans “need one thing: a ceasefire. A ceasefire so hospitals can get what they need, a ceasefire so people can return to their homes, a ceasefire to give all the children a chance to go to bed at night knowing that they will wake up in the morning. Know that all the help in the world is useless, if there is nothing. no ceasefire.”

Same feeling and speech at the UN which welcomed the military pause, decreed by Israel, but which requested other measures to facilitate deliveries of humanitarian aid and to move towards a real ceasefire.