What awaits the people of Gaza after the ceasefire? This is a question many Palestinians are asking after 470 days of genocide endured by the Gaza Strip, which has left behind blood and destruction unseen in the region’s modern history. The ceasefire agreement, which was finally reached, is merely the beginning of a new phase of suffering and pain for the Palestinian people in Gaza. But what does “ceasefire” mean for the people of Gaza who have lost everything?

Ceasefire: not the end, but the beginning of a new tragedy

After the Israeli assaults on Gaza stopped, it initially seemed as though the war had ended. However, the reality is more complex than that. A ceasefire does not mean the complete end of the war. For those who have lost their loved ones—whether children, parents, or friends—no political agreement can bring back what has been lost. Even if the planes have stopped bombing residential neighborhoods, the hearts of these people remain filled with grief, and the war has not stopped in them. They continue to wait for their loved ones who have not returned. They ask, with sorrow, what they already know the answer to, but their hearts are too fragile and tender to bear the pain. They ask: “Where are my children? Where is my mother?” The answer remains unspoken, and the only response is the deadly silence.

When the ceasefire is announced, the people of Gaza release sighs of apparent relief. However, reality knows no such relief. They know full well that the reality they will face will be harsher than the war itself. The war that occurred on the ground will only be part of the psychological and social wars that will unfold thereafter.

The time for mourning and pain

Throughout the period of the aggression, the primary concern of Palestinian citizens was survival. They had no time or space to think about their fate after each Israeli attack. Their lives were a series of moments filled with fear and constant anticipation, not knowing where the next strike would fall. Survival from death was their first goal, and they had no choice but to escape to a safe place, if there was one. But with the ceasefire, this moment of calm becomes an opportunity for the people of Gaza to confront the deep pain that was hidden throughout the period of aggression. The war never allowed them the chance to remember their loved ones, nor did it allow them to mourn their loss.

The ceasefire opens the doors to a journey of endless grief. This time is almost like a “moment in time” that allows the Palestinians to recall their memories, to cry for those they have lost, and whom the aggression never allowed them to mourn. The tears, which are part of the souls of these oppressed people, will trace their paths down their weary faces, burning their hearts. This brief time does not bring back what they have lost in dear ones, but it gives them the opportunity to mourn the overwhelming grief they have stored since the beginning of the assault.

The beginning of the journey of loss

The issue is not only about the sorrow of the souls but extends to the material and social conditions of the Palestinian community in Gaza. After the bombing stopped, the new scene of loss began. The Palestinian citizens emerge from their dilapidated tents to witness firsthand the devastation that has struck their homes and cities. The streets that were once full of life are now filled with rubble and dust. The homes that were shelters for them have turned into piles of debris. In this moment, it becomes hard to comprehend the scale of the disaster that has befallen them.

They search for their homes that have disappeared, for themselves torn between the corpses and body parts beneath the rubble, for their loved ones whom they could not perform the last duty for, which was to bury them in a dignified and humane manner, for their features that have turned into faded images that no longer resemble them. They will not be able to return to the life they had before the war, for everything has changed radically. Moreover, they will face perplexing questions: How do we start anew? Where do we search for hope?

A tragic and eternal memory

What awaits the people of Gaza after the ceasefire is not only physical suffering but also psychological suffering. Wars do not only kill bodies; they destroy minds and hearts. For us in Gaza, sorrow has become part of our daily lives. Life has transformed into a series of tragic memories, which repeat day after day in our minds, and no night passes for anyone in Gaza without sadness and crying over those painful memories, even after the bombing has stopped. One of the questions that continues to torment everyone in Gaza is: How can people who have lost everything rebuild their lives amid this destruction? How can those who have lived through constant loss find peace in their souls?

In addition to the sorrow each of us lives through, collective pain in Gaza is clearly embodied. The collective memory of the society holds tightly to the images of the tragedy and pain that Palestinians lived through. What the people in Gaza endured during this genocide seems impossible to forget because of its severity and inhumanity. Families who have lost many of their members and lived through the genocide will find themselves in a new stage of social destruction. Social problems will arise, including the collapse of family relations and the loss of trust among community members, as each person wonders if they can continue in a world that does not recognise their rights or existence.

Has the war really ended?

While it seems that the ceasefire has ended the actual fighting on the ground, other wars have begun to unfold afterward. Now, difficult challenges are emerging that rival the war itself, including reconstruction, rebuilding the healthcare system, reviving the educational process, and attempting to rebuild the human spirit itself. Rebuilding the Gaza Strip will not be an easy matter, and it will not stop with the end of the war. But, is there enough resources or political will in the world to help the Palestinians start a new phase? Or will the international community settle for weak statements and limited aid?

This is a question that everyone must answer. Gaza, which has remained steadfast throughout this period, needs real support, lasting peace, and new opportunities for the future, where Palestinians can be convinced that they can rebuild their lives anew, far from wars and death.

The ceasefire cannot be the end of the story for the people of Gaza. In fact, it is the beginning of a new war, a war with oneself, with memories, with endless pain. The war has not ended in Gaza; rather, a new phase of continuous suffering has begun.

Refaat Ibrahim is a Palestinian writer living in Gaza, where he studied English Language and Literature at the Islamic University.

This is a republication from PEARLS & IRRITATIONS website at: https://johnmenadue.com/the-war-didnt-end-with-a-ceasefire/

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.