GAZA,(Palestine Foundation Information Center)The humanitarian ceasefire went into effect in the Gaza Strip at seven o’clock (local time) this morning, Friday, after a night of intense Israeli bombardment throughout the Gaza Strip, preceded by the Israeli forces’ raid on the Indonesian hospital.
Our correspondent reported that there was an active movement among the citizens in the cities of the Gaza Strip, and that thousands had started leaving the shelters and heading to their homes in the eastern areas of the Strip, especially in the south and the Wadi Gaza area.
Thousands were seen in the streets of Rafah, Khan Yunis, Deir al-Balah, and the camps of the central governorate, with no sounds of explosions and the absence, so far, of Israeli aircraft flying over.
Citizens expressed their happiness at the beginning of the ceasefire and expressed their hope that it would be the start of a comprehensive cessation of aggression.
A citizen, on her way to her home in the eastern part of Khan Yunis, said: “We will return to our homes, check on them, and thank God for everyone who survived. We pray to God to stop the aggression and to protect our people and resistance.”
Another citizen said: “No matter how many they kill and how much they destroy, we will remain steadfast and victorious. We will return to our homes and one day return to our occupied lands and cities.”
Citizens expressed their bitterness at the scenes of massive destruction in many areas and neighborhoods, but they emphasized that all of that would be rebuilt, God willing, and stressed the need to intensify efforts to stop the aggression completely.
While things seem calmer after the ceasefire in southern of Wadi Gaza, the situation appears more difficult and challenging in Gaza City and its northern areas, where Israeli forces have been infiltrating many neighborhoods in the two districts.
Local sources reported that Israeli tanks are stationed on Al-Nasr Street (Bahlool Station) in Gaza City, preventing residents from accessing their homes in the areas infiltrated by those forces.
According to the sources, Israeli tanks are firing along Al-Nasr Street and around Al-Rantisi Hospital, preventing citizens from reaching their homes in the northwest areas of Gaza.
Some citizens challenged the presence of occupying forces and insisted on returning to their homes and inspecting them in that area.
Video clips showed citizens returning to their homes in Beit Hanoun to inspect them.
Video clips also showed heavy movement of citizens in Jabalia and its camp, who insisted on resilience and refused forced displacement.
Furthermore, citizens started moving on Salah al-Din Road, which connects the Gaza districts, with the aim of returning to their homes in Gaza City and its northern areas. However, Israeli forces stationed on the road in southern Gaza launched gas bombs in an attempt to disperse them.
Local sources reported that citizens were injured by Israeli sniper fire while attempting to return through side roads near Al-Nour Resort in southern Gaza.
It is worth noting that hundreds of thousands of citizens have been forcibly displaced from Gaza and its northern areas to the southern part of the Strip due to Israeli shelling and threats. They are suffering greatly due to the lack of suitable accommodation, and some of them are looking to return to their homes and resettle there or inspect their homes and reunite with their families.
The Israeli occupation forces have stated that Palestinians are not allowed to return to the northern Gaza Valley during the ceasefire, while people from that area would be allowed to come to the south without undergoing inspection.
Our correspondent reported that the Israeli forces occasionally open fire towards the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis and Rafah.
In the operational framework, diesel and gas trucks began to enter from the Egyptian side towards Mas’ouf Gate on the Palestinian side of the crossing.
Dozens of trucks carrying aid are preparing to enter to alleviate the burdens of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip after 48 days of aggression and the suffocating blockade.
Details of the agreement
The start of the humanitarian ceasefire comes as a result of an agreement announced by the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs in joint efforts with Egypt and the United States. It includes a prisoner exchange deal for Israeli captives from Gaza, the delivery of 13 detainees out of a total of 50 prisoners is supposed to begin at 4:00 p.m. today, while Israel would release 300 female prisoners and child prisoners within four days, the duration of the ceasefire.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced the details of the humanitarian ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners, including women and children under the age of 19.
In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades said that the ceasefire will come into effect on Friday, November 24, 2023, at 7:00 a.m.
They mentioned that the ceasefire will last for four days, starting from Friday morning, accompanied by the cessation of all military activities by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the Palestinian resistance, as well as the Zionist enemy throughout the ceasefire period
The ceasefire includes a complete halt to enemy aircraft flying in the southern Gaza Strip, with enemy aircraft ceasing to fly for 6 hours daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Gaza City and the north.
It has been confirmed that 3 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, will be released in exchange for each Israeli prisoner.
It has been stated that during the 4 days, 50 Israeli prisoners, including women and children under 19 years old, will be released.
It has been mentioned that 200 trucks of relief and medical supplies will be daily delivered to all areas of the Gaza Strip.
It has been indicated that 4 fuel trucks and cooking gas will also be daily delivered to all areas of the Gaza Strip.
Developments of the aggression
The Israeli occupation forces continued their bloody holocaust in the Gaza Strip for the 49th consecutive day. They anticipated the start of the humanitarian ceasefire by storming the Indonesian hospital and escalating the bombing of homes with their residents inside, carrying out air raids, using incendiary devices, and committing crimes of genocide, along with incursions from several axes amid steadfast resistance.
Prior to the ceasefire, sirens sounded in the settlements near the Gaza Strip, indicating a rocket barrage through which the resistance affirmed its ability to manage the confrontation with the occupation.
Our correspondent reported that the Israeli warplanes intensified their violent airstrikes unprecedentedly throughout the night and until the early morning hours before the commencement of the humanitarian ceasefire.
Occupation forces stormed the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, with tanks at dawn today, killing a woman among the wounded and injuring 3 others, just a few hours before the ceasefire took effect.
The Director-General of Health in Gaza, Munir Al-Bursh, said, “The occupation forces stormed the Indonesian Hospital with tanks and unleashed heavy gunfire, smoke bombs, and gas.”
Al-Bursh affirmed that what the occupation is carrying out at the Indonesian Hospital is a heinous war crime worse and more brutal than its crime in Al-Shifa Complex. Moreover, 3 hospital employees were arrested, causing panic among the wounded and displaced.
According to Al-Bursh, the Indonesian Hospital has about 200 injured people and 25 medical staff members.
The Israeli occupation forces escalated their targeting of various parts of the Strip just a few hours before the temporary ceasefire began in the Gaza Strip.
Media sources confirmed that Jabalia camp in the northern part of the Strip, Nuseirat in the central part, and Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south witnessed intense shelling that resulted in dozens of martyrs and injuries.
The Israeli warplanes targeted a densely populated residential building in Nuseirat, “Camp 2,” in the middle of the Gaza Strip, starting fire in it.
The occupation forces renewed artillery shelling in the eastern area of Al-Qarara and targeted a house belonging to the Abu Olba family near the Abu Qamr station in northern Gaza.
Fierce clashes broke out between the resistance and occupation forces in the vicinity of Jabalia, which witnessed intense shelling. There was intense Israeli artillery fire on Jabalia market.
The Israeli aircraft launched an airstrike on Al-Zawaida, as well as on the Maghazi refugee camp, coinciding with intense artillery shelling in the middle of the Strip.
Journalist Amal Zuhd, along with her family, was martyred in a shelling that targeted her house in Gaza City a few days ago, raising the number of martyred journalists since the beginning of the aggression to 66.
The occupation forces continued their ground incursions in several axes of the Gaza Strip, especially in the northern Gaza Governorate and Gaza City, before start of the ceasefire. They were met with fierce and heroic resistance that continues in all the axes of incursion. During these confrontations, the Al-Qassam Brigades managed to destroy more than 335 military vehicles, either completely or partially.
