Hope amid ruins: Gaza sleeps without fear

Muslim Network TV
GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) – For the first time in 471 nights, Gaza’s skies were quiet. After over a year of relentless bombings, explosions, and despair, the night brought a fragile pause and a chance for families to reclaim a semblance of peace.
In the battered streets of Gaza City, parents held their children close, watching them drift into sleep without the constant fear of explosions tearing through their lives.
“I had forgotten what quiet sounded like,” said Um Rami, a mother of three, as she tucked her youngest into a makeshift bed. “It’s as if the silence is louder than the war.”
In neighborhoods like Jabalia Refugee Camp, the devastation is overwhelming. Entire blocks lie in ruins, with charred walls and broken beams bearing testimony to the violence.
Families like that of 28-year-old Duaa al-Khalidi returned to shattered homes. Emerging alive with her two daughters, Duaa faces an unfathomable future without her husband and in-laws, who were crushed beneath the rubble of their family home.
“We survived, but what do we have left? My daughters ask for their father every night. How do I answer them?” she sobbed.
Weightlifter Hussein Awda, once a source of inspiration to the youth, now walks through what remains of his home and his beloved sports club.
“This was not just a building; it was where dreams were born,” he said, standing amidst twisted metal and debris. “But the war killed everything beautiful inside us.”
Yet, despite the destruction, life persists. Makeshift tents sprout where homes once stood, their tarps flapping in the cold wind. Community kitchens prepare meals for those who lost everything.
“This tent is my home now,” said 63-year-old Abu Ismail, who lost his house in the northern bombardment. “We’re alive, but is this really living?”
Relief efforts brought a sliver of hope. Over 630 aid trucks entered Gaza, laden with food and medicine. Of these, 300 headed to North Gaza, which bore the brunt of the bombings.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s aid chief, described the scale of destruction as “beyond imagination.” Speaking to reporters, he said, “The needs here are astronomical. Every truck that enters saves lives, but it’s a drop in an ocean of despair.”
Clean water remains a luxury, healthcare systems are on the brink of collapse, and electricity is sporadic at best. The destruction of vital infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, amplifies the suffering.
Doctors in Gaza’s overwhelmed medical facilities expressed relief that, for now, no new casualties were arriving. “This is the first day in months we haven’t seen the injured pour in,” said Dr. Leila Asfour, a pediatrician. “But the children who survived carry scars that medicine cannot heal.”
The fragile truce brought mixed emotions. In Khan Younis and Rafah, armed Hamas fighters paraded in the streets, their chants echoing through the ruins.
Brief celebrations broke out, with residents lighting small fireworks, but the joy was tempered by the weight of loss.
“It’s not a celebration,” said Ahmed Abu Ayham, a resident of Khan Younis. “It’s a moment to hug and cry. We need to grieve for what we’ve lost.”
Political leaders added their voices to the cautious optimism. Hamas spokesperson Abdul-Latif Qanou described the ceasefire as “a victory for the resilience of our people,” but warned that the struggle was far from over.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Moshe Sa’ar took a starkly different tone, emphasizing that the truce was temporary.
“This is not peace,” he said. “It is a pause. If Hamas is not dismantled, if our captives are not returned, this war will resume.”

West Bank under fire

While Gaza paused to catch its breath, violence continued in the occupied West Bank. Israeli settlers launched a wave of attacks on Palestinian towns and villages.
In Turmus Ayya, vehicles were vandalized, and near the Ein Sinya military checkpoint, settlers targeted Palestinian civilians.
“They want to make life impossible for us,” said Ahmed Salim, whose car was destroyed in one such attack. “It’s not just Gaza; the entire Palestinian nation is under siege.”
The human cost of the war is staggering. Since October 7, 2023, at least 46,913 Palestinians have been killed, and 110,750 wounded.
Over 11,000 people remain missing, buried under rubble. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

The war has left psychological wounds that will take generations to heal. “This isn’t just about rebuilding homes,” said Rami Abed, a social worker. “It’s about rebuilding lives, hearts, and hope. And that will take years, if not decades.”
As Gaza sleeps without fear for the first time in 471 nights, the future remains uncertain. The ceasefire is fragile, its permanence far from assured.
Israeli officials have set strict conditions for any extended truce, and the specter of renewed violence looms large.
For now, Gazans hold onto the present moment. “It’s not much, but it’s a start,” said 22-year-old Noor Khalil, who lost her university to the bombings. “If we can sleep tonight without fear, maybe one day, we can dream again.”
In this sliver of peace, amid ruins and tears, Gaza’s spirit endures. It is a fragile hope, but for those who have known nothing but war, even fragility is worth clinging to.