‘Indescribable feeling’ With ceasefire, more aid flows and Gazans look forward to returning home

Shadi is one of other displaced people who gradually began to return to their homes after the ceasefire agreement entered into force today, Sunday, after more than 470 days of war that broke out in October 2023.

The United Nations News correspondent in Gaza was present with Shadi as he returned to what remained of his house, in which he built every piece himself before the war, and inspected the extent of the destruction that had befallen his rooms, some of which had turned into rubble and were now exposed to the open air.

But Shadi expressed his happiness to our correspondent “To stop the bloodshed”adding: “This is an indescribable feeling. Thank God we survived this war unscathed. But I cannot describe the extent of the devastation we saw when we returned to our homes. I don’t know what to say.”

The World Food Program said that the program’s first trucks began crossing from Egypt through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza on Sunday.

He added in a post on the X website that the program can send about 30,000 tons of food per month to reach more than a million people.

He stressed that all border crossings must remain open and operate efficiently and reliably.

Since the first day of the outbreak of war, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and all its agencies have repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the allowing of large-scale humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza.

Despite the enormous challenges, UN agencies, led by UNRWA, continued to provide life-saving assistance during the months of war.

Joy and crying

Since the early morning hours, the people of Gaza went out in gatherings to celebrate the entry into force of the ceasefire agreement, including the displaced person in the Nuseirat camp, Maryam Haboub.

Maryam told our correspondent: “A great joy. I cried as soon as I heard the news. We pray that this agreement will be completed and that we will return to our homes and children safe and sound. It is the greatest joy and we pray that it will go well, God willing.”

Nearby in Nuseirat, displaced Suleiman Al-Rawag took a look at his home and told our correspondent: “An indescribable feeling with the sounds of bombing and destruction in the area.”

He added to our correspondent: “We thank God that today we are near our homes, and we took a look at them and were reassured about them.”

Dr. Rick Pepperkorn, the representative of the World Health Organization in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that the goal now is to enter between 500 and 600 trucks per day during the coming weeks. This would constitute a huge increase in the number of trucks that arrived in the Gaza Strip during the past months, which ranged between 40 to 50 trucks per day.