One year since a ceasefire was announced, 2 Islamic Relief aid workers in Gaza discuss the ongoing challenges communities and humanitarian workers are facing, and the sense of fear that clouds daily life as Israeli attacks continue.
Layla*: The current situation here in Gaza, with bombing and airstrikes still ongoing, cannot be called a ceasefire. There is no ceasefire in reality. They target displacement camps and crowded areas, so there is still a lot of fear.
We cannot say that we are 100% safe. We cannot go into the streets by car or on foot. We are scared to even leave our homes, and of the noise of the drones above us. Even our homes themselves are unsafe. It’s hard to think you could be next. These are the hardships we’re facing; displacement, fear. The killing is non-stop and we cannot live our lives normally.
Sameer*: When we heard the news about the ceasefire, it brought us some relief that we were still alive after what had happened over the 2 years before. But afterwards we saw that it was not a ceasefire from the Israeli side.
Just the other day, there was an attack nearby. It was in a crowded tent area with women and children around.
Most people are living in crowded tents and damaged buildings. I don’t know if you saw on the news, but a few weeks ago a damaged building collapsed on the sleeping children and families sheltering inside.
Because of the attacks, there is no building good enough to live in. Most of us are living in tents and there is a huge issue with drinking water, for example. It’s nearly impossible to find a good drinking water source, or even an electricity source now.
When I go out walking with my children, any time a car comes up beside us, I fear that there will be an attack. Even when we’re at home, there is fear in every moment. Even leaving to go to work… it’s difficult to explain that feeling because it’s become something in our minds, in our lives, in every move we make.
Layla: I am afraid that I will lose one of my colleagues, that I will lose my life, or lose my family. But this is the situation here.
There is news that some goods are entering Gaza, but nowhere near enough is getting in. You might see on social media that there are restaurants here, coffee shops and so on. People want to live, want to recover, but even when we are trying to recover, I always think there will be something that will disappoint us, something that will interrupt any progress we make.