The Israeli government and the Islamist Palestinian group, Hamas, agreed to a ceasefire last week after eleven days of relentless bombardment, which began on 10 May. Many countries around the world, including the US, welcomed the silencing of guns and reiterated that a two-state solution is the only way to usher in peace in a region marred with violence since the creation of Israel in 1948
Thousands of Palestinians returned home to scenes of devastation with officials saying reconstruction might take years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) called for the creation of corridors for injured people to be evacuated. More than 250 people were killed in the 11-day conflict, most of them in Gaza. Both Israel and Hamas claimed victory, In southern Israel, residents celebrated the truce but many expressed concern that another conflict in the region was just a matter of time.
Trucks from various aid agencies, including those affiliated with the United Nations, started bringing much-needed medicine, food and fuel into Gaza, after Israel reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing, More than 100,000 people had to flee their homes in the territory, which is controlled by the militant group Hamas, and nearly 800,000 people did not have access to piped water, the UN children’s agency Unicef said.
For years, Gaza has been subjected to Israeli and Egyptian restrictions on the passage of people and goods, with both countries citing concerns about weapons reaching Hamas, Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid pass into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unwra) said its priority was to identify and help tens of thousands of displaced people, and that it was urgently seeking $38m (£26m) in aid, On Thursday, Gaza’s housing ministry said 1,800 housing units were unfit for living and 1,000 had been destroyed.
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