'For now, fear remains' Palestinians wait to see whether Gaza plan delivers peace

Yesterday morning, there was little joy in Gaza.

- Seham Tantesh Gaza Jason Burke

The news of the imminent ceasefire had spread rapidly across the devastated territory during the night, with a few gunshots fired into the sky in celebration, but as morning came the mood was of tense anticipation.

"Everyone is still afraid," said a 26-year-old woman in al-Muwasi, the squalid, overcrowded coastal strip where much of the population has sought shelter in makeshift tents and plastic shacks.

Nearby, Abbas Hassouna, 64, said he and his family were "waiting for an official announcement and real guarantees for opening the crossings, bringing in food, and stopping the killing, destruction and displacement".

He added: "When we see these things happen, only then will we truly believe them. But for now, fear remains. They could backtrack at any moment or break the agreement as before and we will remain in the same endless cycle with nothing changing except more suffering." Hassouna was originally from northern Gaza but has been displaced multiple times.

Ola Al-Nazli, 47, said she had learned of the ceasefire from her neighbours in al-Muwasi.

"I did not know how to feel, whether to be happy or sad. We have experienced this many times before, and each time we were disappointed again, so this time fear and caution are stronger than ever," said Nazli, who was forced to leave her home in Gaza City by the recent Israeli offensive there.