As Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce in Gaza on Friday, there were no significant reports of bombs, artillery strikes, or rocket assaults. This was the first respite in a conflict that has lasted for 48 days and has ravaged the Palestinian enclave.

The ceasefire went into effect at 7:00 a.m. (05:00 GMT) and included a complete cessation of hostilities in both north and south Gaza. Additionally, the militants agreed to free 13 Israeli women and children held captive later in the day, and assistance was allowed to enter the besieged region. As part of the deal, it was agreed that a certain number of Palestinian detainees currently being detained in Israeli jails would be released.

A Reuters reporter who was close to the northern part of Gaza reported hearing no activity from the Israeli air force overhead and not spotting any typical contrails that Palestinian rocket launches frequently leave behind.

Al-Mayadeen TV in Lebanon claimed that from the beginning of the ceasefire, there have been no noises of bombardment heard in the Gaza Strip. However, it was reported that Israeli soldiers were preventing inhabitants of the heavily populated northern half of the enclave from returning to their homes.

Al Jazeera reported that there was one incident in which soldiers opened fire, but there was no evidence to suggest that it resulted in any casualties. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the situation. Still, it had previously warned Palestinians to avoid the northern part of the Gaza Strip, which it referred to as a “dangerous war zone.”

Warning sirens were activated in two Israeli communities located outside of the southern Gaza Strip in response to the possibility of Palestinian rocket fire. Although there were no immediate reports of any damage as a result of the incident, an Israeli government representative claimed that Hamas had broken the ceasefire by launching a rocket.

Khaled Abu Anzah, a Palestinian, told Reuters that in the town of Khan Younis, located in the southern part of Gaza, where the streets were crowded with people, “We are full of hope, optimism, and pride in our resistance.” Despite the anguish that this has caused, we are proud of the accomplishments that we have achieved.

Officials from within the Hamas-ruled enclave said that a hospital in Gaza City was one of the locations struck during the fighting that took place in the hours leading up to the truce. Both parties indicated that the ceasefire would only be brief before the violence would restart.

According to sources in Gaza’s health ministry, the Indonesian hospital was struggling under the constant bombardment, working without any light, and full of bedridden elderly people and children who were too frail to be relocated. Mounir El Barsh, the director of the Gazan health ministry, claimed to Al-Jazeera that one injured patient, a woman, passed away while three others suffered injuries.

Majed Al-Ansari, a spokeswoman for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated in Doha that further supplies would begin to come into Gaza at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), and the first captives, including elderly ladies, would be liberated at that time. The total number of hostages would rise to 50 over the next four days.

Reuters TV footage revealed that aid trucks were beginning to enter the Gaza Strip from Egypt around an hour and a half after the ceasefire began. Two vehicles representing Egyptian organizations bore banners: “Together for Humanity.” Another person said, “For our brothers in Gaza.”

Egypt has stated that 130,000 liters of diesel and four trucks of gas will be given daily to Gaza when the ceasefire begins. Additionally, Egypt has stated that 200 trucks of supplies will enter Gaza daily.

According to the Qatari representative who talked to the media, it was anticipated that Palestinians would be released from Israeli imprisonment. “We all hope this truce will lead to a chance to start a wider work to achieve a permanent truce,” Hamas announced on its Telegram channel, confirming that its troops will stop all hostilities immediately.

The phrase “TEMPORARY TRUCE”

However, Abu Ubaida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, later referred to “this temporary truce” in a video message that called for an “escalation of the confrontation with Israel) on all resistance fronts.” This included the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where violence has increased significantly since the Gaza war began almost seven weeks ago.

The Israeli military has stated that its forces will remain behind a ceasefire line inside Gaza; however, it has not provided specifics on its posture.

“These will be complicated days, and nothing is certain,” said Daniel Hagari, a spokeswoman for the Israeli military. “Control over northern Gaza is the first step of a long war, and we are preparing for the next stages,” said the commander. The office of the Israeli prime minister reported that Israel had obtained an initial list of captives to be released and was communicating with their relatives.

An Israeli military spokeswoman issued the following warning to Palestinians in a post made on social media in the Arabic language: “The war is not over yet.” This delay for humanitarian considerations is just short. It is strictly banned to travel to the northern parts of the Gaza Strip since they are a dangerous combat zone. You have no choice but to stay in the humanitarian zone down south if you value your safety.

Israel began its deadly assault on Gaza when gunmen from Hamas burst over the border barrier on October 7. According to Israeli counts, the attack resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals and the capture of approximately 240 hostages.

According to Palestinian health officials, since then, Israel has showered the small enclave with bombs, resulting in the deaths of over 14,000 Gazans, almost forty percent of whom were children. Although hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants have evacuated their homes to get away from the carnage, the situation is just getting worse.

The combat grew even more violent on Thursday, just before the truce, with Israeli planes bombing more than 300 targets and soldiers engaging in heavy battles around the Jabalia refugee camp to the north of Gaza City.

“People are exhausted and are losing hope in humanity,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said on Thursday after seeing “unspeakable suffering” during a visit to Gaza. “People are exhausted and are losing hope in humanity.”

They require a break, and they should be able to sleep without being concerned about whether or not they will live through the night. The absolute minimum that everyone ought to be able to have is this.

The fate of hospitals has been a focus of concern on a global scale, particularly in the northern half of Gaza, where all of the medical institutions have halted working, trapping patients, workers, and civilians who have been forced to flee their homes within.

Israel claims that Hamas fighters utilize homes and other civilian structures, such as hospitals, as cover; Hamas disputes this claim.