On Tuesday, like many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Mouad Zakary al-Qalut anxiously awaited news whether a cease-fire agreement would be confirmed, ending more than a year of deadly fighting in the enclave.
“We had a lot of plans for the day after the war,” translator al-Kalut told NBC News from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. “But I really don’t know what to do right now.”
“The day after they stopped this war,” al-Kahrout told NBC News reporters in Gaza on Monday, shortly after President Joe Biden said negotiators were “on the brink.” , I don’t know what the day will be like.” ” Armistice.
Biden, speaking before leaving office next week, said his administration is “working urgently” to finalize a deal that will end the deadly fighting in the Gaza Strip and release hostages held by Hamas. said.
The Israeli military’s brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip, which started after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack that killed 1,200 people and has now continued for more than 15 months, has continued to spread across the enclave, according to local health officials. More than 46,500 people died.
Officials told NBC News that negotiators have made significant progress toward ceasefire negotiations in recent days. Both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, have been credited with making progress in negotiations that have been stalled for more than a year.
For many people in Gaza, including the thousands of murdered Palestinians and hostages who died in Hamas captivity, a ceasefire agreement would now be too late.
“We have lost too much,” Al Karut said. “It’s really important that we stop this bloodshed.”
Several countries have filed suit with the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Both Israeli and US officials have vehemently denied the charges.
Under the current ceasefire proposal, the first hostages held by Hamas would be released 48 hours after the ceasefire is announced and takes effect, a U.S. official told NBC News. Meanwhile, Israeli forces are withdrawing from populated areas of Gaza to the Israeli border, and much-needed aid is also expected to flow into Gaza.
But even if the fighting ends, the toll of war will be felt in the enclave for years to come. Much of Gaza’s infrastructure was destroyed and tens of thousands of people died there, while thousands more suffered life-altering injuries.
Speaking to NBC News reporters on the ground in Nuseyrat, surrounded by rubble, Hassan Sharif said: “We have been expelled from Rafah, which is now nothing but a massive accumulation of destruction, and we are unlikely to return once the war is over.” ” he said. . ”
“We can only remain optimistic about the current round of negotiations towards a ceasefire,” Sharif said. Sharif said he studied at the University of Palestine before the war and hoped to become a clinical pharmacist.
“When the war ends, the first thing to do is start looking for your life again,” he said. “To re-plan my future.”
