Sounds of Children Playing Heard Across Gaza

3 mins

The sounds of children playing in the streets are being heard across Gaza as a ceasefire takes hold and people finally return to their demolished homes

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said that after 470 days of conflict, the people of Gaza are hearing the sound of children playing rather than missiles and bombs from Israeli air strikes.

Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X: ‘Our UNRWA teams reported a good first day of the ceasefire; aid and some commercial supplies started flowing in smoothly.

‘Three hostages were at long last safely released, while Palestinian prisoners have now reunited with their family. Thank you, ICRC (International committee of the Red Cross).

‘We will spare no effort to alleviate the immense suffering and scale up the humanitarian delivery.’

Egyptian authorities announced that Israel would release a total of more than 1,890 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 33 hostages. The Israel Prison Service confirmed the release of 90 prisoners early on Monday 20th January.

In the town of Beitunia, near Ofer Prison, Palestinians cheered and chanted as buses carrying them arrived.

‘All the prisoners being released today feel like family to us. They are part of us, even if they’re not blood relatives,’ Amanda Abu Sharkh, 23, told reporters.

IRCR President Mirjana Spoljaric called for all sides to ‘adhere to their commitments to ensure the next operations can take place safely’ adding: ‘More families are waiting anxiously for their loved ones to come home.’

The Return to Gaza

Palestinians have started to return to their homes and are able to witness the huge amounts of damage inflicted during the conflict.

Shadi Jumaa Abu Sheha returned to Nuseirat only to find the dwelling he had built mostly with his own hands ‘is no longer a home, it is a ruin’. 

He was accompanied by a UN observer as he assessed the extent of the damage, which had left some of the rooms in ruins, their interiors now open to the weather.

Palestinians stand in front of their destroyed homes after an Israeli airstrike, in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, January 5, 2025.

Sheha said he felt was relieved that ‘the bloodshed has stopped’.

He said: ‘This is an indescribable feeling. Thank God we survived this war unharmed. But I cannot describe the extent of the destruction, I do not know what to say.’

Meanwhile, aid trucks have started to arrive in Gaza bringing in vital supplies to begin pulling the war-ravaged territory back from starvation.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher highlighted the entry of humanitarian assistance.

He said: ‘As the ceasefire entered into force today, humanitarian aid moved into Gaza as part of a prepared surge to increase our support to survivors. More than 630 trucks with humanitarian aid entered Gaza today, with at least 300 of them going to the north.’

Fletcher acknowledged the challenges faced in delivering aid, stressing the importance of safety for civilians and aid workers.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres added: ‘We stand ready to support this implementation and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer. It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid.’

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