Amid preparations for US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East, as well as today’s Gaza peace plan signing ceremony and international summit in Egypt, people in the destroyed enclave are already getting on with the difficult work of putting their lives back into some kind of order.
As a tentative ceasefire affords war-weary Palestinian civilians some room to breathe, more images from Gaza are reaching the outside world. Thousands of people trudge kilometres back to whatever remains of their cities, towns and villages. Survivors search through the rubble of bombed-out buildings, uncovering the remains of yet more dead. Videos on social media show those few fortunate enough to have a home to return to busy cleaning up the dust and debris left by Israel’s two-year onslaught.
These are critical days for Gaza and many tricky steps lie ahead, such as a hostage-detainee exchange scheduled to take place today. This is a key part of the first phase of the 20-point peace plan – but vital to ensuring that this fragile situation does not backslide into more violent conflict is fully opening up Gaza to the outside world as soon as possible.
The UN has confirmed that fuel, medical supplies and other essential materials – held up by Israel for far too long – have already started flowing through the Karam Abu Salem crossing. This is an important and welcome step forward but it is not nearly enough to make up for the shortages due to an Israeli blockade, while movement in and out of Gaza remains at the behest of the Israeli military. As such, people in Gaza remain largely cut off.
Among those still being denied entry are reporters from the world’s news organisations. Although the international media have been able to travel to Israel freely, including to cover the recent anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attacks as well as Mr Trump’s arrival, the Palestinian experience is only being reported by the territory’s surviving Palestinian journalists, many of whom are overstretched and under-resourced.
As international leaders gather in Sharm El Sheikh today, stabilisation and reconstruction in Palestine must be high on their agenda. But until construction teams, medics and aid workers can get into the enclave in meaningful numbers, the situation on the ground will remain volatile, particularly as law and order in parts of Gaza remains far from a given.
Having reporters, aid workers and others inside Gaza would get some essential support and help restore some kind of civil society structure in a territory that’s lost tens of thousands of its citizens to Israel’s collective punishment. The more that a functioning Palestinian society can be put back together – with the help of Arab and Islamic countries, and the wider international community – the higher the price will be for either Hamas or Israel if they choose to restart the war.
This is not the time for prevarication. To wait unnecessarily risks losing the momentum behind this US-backed plan. Gaza’s people have been isolated by Israel not only for the past two years but almost two decades – now is an opportune time to bring this isolation and ensuing suffering to an end.
