“A Ceasefire Doesn’t Mean the War is Over – and the End of War Doesn’t Mean the Tragedy is Over.”

“When the ceasefire in Gaza was officially announced, hundreds of thousands of displaced people had already gathered near the al-Nuwairi hill—the last place they could reach without being fired upon by the occupation army, which was preventing them from returning to their homes. They stared out over the horizon, towards the Wadi Gaza bridge, waiting for a sign that they could go back. Some burned their tents in a symbolic act of absolute refusal to continue living in displacement.

The first steps I took towards Wadi Gaza were fraught with danger. Dozens of unexploded shells lay scattered across the area, posing a deadly risk to the displaced, while the remains of those who had tried to cross in recent months still lay on the ground. Among them was the body of Muhannad Abu Sakran, a 22-year-old Palestinian programmer. He worked on mobile application development and, through Ajyal—where he served as chairman—helped create an app that enabled doctors in maternity hospitals to quickly access complex medical protocols. Muhannad was killed in mid-2024 as he attempted to return to Gaza City. His body remained in the open for months until his family finally found him and identified him by his clothing.

After two hours of uninterrupted walking, I reached southern Gaza City. I paused to catch my breath. Gaza was unrecognisable—its streets deeply scarred by the battles. I no longer recognised the beautiful neighbourhoods where I had spent my childhood; my friends’ homes were reduced to rubble. According to Shelter Cluster—a coalition of international and local organisations operating in Gaza—92% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed. Displaced families are living in inhumane conditions, crammed into makeshift tents, children face homelessness, and women live in a constant state of insecurity. Due to a lack of building materials, many people are forced to seek shelter in damaged buildings, exposing themselves to deadly risks from unexploded ordnance. The number of missing persons is estimated at around 11,000, while the occupation forces are holding 9,846 Palestinians in detention—a figure that does not include the thousands arrested from Gaza after 7 October 2023.

By 2025, Ajyal, together with many partners, will have provided education to approximately 5,000 children and psychosocial support to 77,421 displaced people, at least 70% of whom were women and children. In addition, Ajyal is running an emergency humanitarian project for the Gaza crisis, distributing food packages, vegetables, fruit, hygiene products, and infant formula to tens of thousands of displaced people as part of the organisation’s efforts to strengthen people’s resilience. But these efforts cover only a fraction of the actual needs.

Reports indicate that donor countries have disbursed only around $146.4 million of the $4.07 billion required to address the crisis in Gaza—just 3.6% of the urgent needs for the 3.3 million people assessed as requiring humanitarian assistance. This means that Palestinians without resources are left to face starvation and systematic extermination on their own.

What is needed now is for Palestinians not to be left alone to confront the ongoing genocide campaign and the growing risks of forced displacement. It is crucial that their situation is not seen solely as a humanitarian crisis but as a matter of their right to self-determination. A ceasefire does not mean the genocide stops, and the end of war does not mean the tragedy is over.”

Main image: Hosny Salah

This text has also been published as an opinion piece in Arabic on Alkompis, a news site aimed at Arabic speakers in Sweden.