As the Gaza ceasefire entered its second week, renewed violence and logistical hurdles continued to undermine hopes for a stable recovery. Despite a lull in large-scale hostilities, scenes of devastation and deepening humanitarian crisis still define daily life in the enclave, where aid efforts and reconstruction remain constrained and fragile.
In Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, five Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Baptist Hospital. The Israeli army said its forces had responded to “a perceived threat” after spotting “suspicious individuals attempting to cross the yellow line.” Separately, three more Palestinians were reported killed in northern Gaza under similar circumstances. A Hamas spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, condemned the incidents as “clear violations of the ceasefire agreement,” calling on international mediators to hold Israel accountable.
Tensions have also flared internally. Local sources reported clashes between Palestinian resistance fighters and what were described as lawless groups or collaborators with Israeli forces in parts of Shuja’iyya and eastern Jabalia. At the same time, Gaza’s already-battered infrastructure continues to crumble. The Gaza Municipality stated that Israeli strikes destroyed approximately 95 percent of the territory’s heavy trucks and construction machinery. Officials estimate that at least 100,000 tonnes of cement are urgently needed to begin basic repairs to water and sanitation systems.
Humanitarian agencies are intensifying their efforts, but the scale of need remains overwhelming. Turkey announced the departure of its 17th “Ship of Goodness” from Mersin port, carrying 900 tonnes of food aid. The World Food Programme reported that 137 trucks have entered Gaza to support bakeries and food distribution, with over 170,000 tonnes of food now staged for transport—enough, the agency says, to feed nearly two million people. Yet bottlenecks persist, and some areas remain inaccessible.
UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram said that although teams are operating across the enclave, they face acute shortages in shelter materials, winter supplies, and medical support. “We need shelters, blankets, and tents for children,” she told Al Jazeera, adding that partial approvals for aid deliveries since May have not yet translated into consistent access.
In Geneva, both the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross urged Israel to open all border crossings to humanitarian traffic. “The humanitarian needs are massive and cannot be met unless every entry point is opened,” said ICRC spokesperson Christian Cardon. He also acknowledged the growing concern over the fate of Israeli detainees believed to have died during the war, stating that recovering remains “could take weeks or may never be completed” due to the scale of destruction. UN humanitarian affairs spokesperson Jens Laerke echoed the urgency, warning that “time is running out” for Gaza’s population.
The World Health Organization said that over 15,600 patients in Gaza urgently need medical evacuation. More than 15,000 people, many of them children, have undergone amputations since the war began. The WHO called for the reopening of medical corridors and the strengthening of disease surveillance systems to prevent outbreaks in the increasingly overcrowded strip.
These developments come just hours after the signing of the Sharm El-Sheikh peace agreement on Monday. The summit, co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump, brought together key mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. The agreement outlines the first phase of a broader Gaza peace framework, calling for a full ceasefire, the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the release of hostages and detainees. Although neither Israel nor Hamas formally signed the document, the agreement has been hailed as a symbolic step toward ending hostilities and initiating a long-term reconstruction process. President Trump said he would prioritize rebuilding efforts over reengaging with long-standing political frameworks such as the one- or two-state solution, declaring that he would “decide what is right for the future of Gaza.”
Yet even with this international endorsement, the ceasefire remains tenuous. Talks on the next phase of the agreement are already underway, focusing on governance, security arrangements, and mechanisms to prevent a return to war. Qatar’s foreign ministry acknowledged that the negotiations would be “difficult” but necessary to sustain the fragile calm.
Meanwhile, the UN Development Programme warned that Gaza’s reconstruction could take a decade or more, with at least 55 million tonnes of rubble needing to be cleared before any meaningful rebuilding can begin. That projection underscores the long road ahead—not just for humanitarian agencies, but for the millions of civilians now caught between the political uncertainty and physical aftermath of war.
In an unusual move, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that the football body would contribute to rebuilding Gaza’s destroyed sports infrastructure. “Football should stand for hope and unity,” he said, pledging to help construct new stadiums and fund youth programs in cooperation with the Palestinian Football Association.
As the ceasefire continues to be tested, Gaza stands at a critical juncture—caught between high-level diplomacy and ground-level despair. Whether the promises made in Sharm El-Sheikh can translate into stability and recovery remains to be seen. But the costs of failure, humanitarian and political alike, are already all too clear.
