Palestinians in Gaza Face Harsh Realities Amid Second Phase of Ceasefire

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – Khaled Abu Jarrar spends each day searching for ways to secure urgent medical treatment for his wife, recently diagnosed with liver cancer.

The 58-year-old, originally from Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza, has been displaced along with his family for the past year and a half and is now living in Gaza City. He understands that for his wife to receive proper care, she must travel abroad immediately.

Khaled places his hopes on Gaza’s newly appointed administration—a body of Palestinian technocrats operating under the oversight of what former U.S. President Donald Trump once referred to as the “board of peace”—to effect meaningful change.

Last week, the National Committee for Gaza Management (NGAC) convened its inaugural meeting in Cairo, Egypt. The committee is tasked with managing Gaza’s daily affairs in place of the Palestinian group Hamas as part of the second stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan. The United States recently confirmed the formal launch of this second phase.

Khaled is eager to see concrete results from the NGAC, especially regarding the reopening of the Rafah crossing. Yet, his optimism is limited.

“I hope this committee has real authority and isn’t just empty promises on paper,” Khaled told Al Jazeera. “Otherwise, it will fail.”

His caution is not without reason. Israel has continued military operations in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 400 Palestinians since the ceasefire began.

Additionally, Israel has publicly opposed the NGAC and has made minimal effort to improve conditions in Gaza. Among its recent measures, Israel has ordered the closure of several international humanitarian organizations that provide essential medical treatment and food assistance.

“On the ground, the shelling never stops,” Khaled said, monitoring NGAC updates from a shelter within the former Legislative Council building in western Gaza City.
“The media discuss withdrawals and reconstruction, but in reality, the bombings continue from both the north and the south, and the situation seems increasingly complicated.”

Khaled’s living arrangements are not unique. Thousands of displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in former government buildings or other structures that partially survived Israeli strikes. This reality underscores the immense challenges facing the NGAC and any governing body attempting to manage Gaza’s affairs.

Fundamentally, any discussion about the effectiveness of new committees hinges on simple yet critical questions for Gaza’s displaced population: Can the technocrats overcome Israeli-imposed restrictions? Will they succeed in delivering tangible improvements for Palestinians exhausted by displacement, loss, and conflict?

The committee presents itself as a politically neutral framework composed of non-factional experts with administrative and technical backgrounds, led by former Palestinian Authority Deputy Minister Ali Shaath.

However, many Palestinians believe its success relies less on its composition and more on its ability to function in an environment still heavily controlled by Israel, which has shown little willingness to allow reconstruction.

Palestinian political analyst Ahed Farwana referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements calling the second phase of the ceasefire “symbolic” as evidence of Israel’s reluctance to cooperate.

“At this point, the committee’s future is uncertain because the second phase requires serious implementation of its obligations,” Farwana told Al Jazeera.

Many of the obligations outlined in the first phase of the ceasefire—such as halting attacks, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from designated areas, and reopening the Rafah crossing—have not been fulfilled. Farwana argued that Netanyahu is unwilling to incur domestic political costs to allow the ceasefire to fully progress, particularly with elections approaching.

“Israel is likely to continue violating the ceasefire and expanding buffer zones, citing obstacles such as unrecovered Israeli bodies, which Hamas cannot access due to extensive rubble left from the attacks,” Farwana said.
“Real progress will only occur if the U.S. exerts strong pressure. Leaving the process solely to Netanyahu will not yield results.”

Israeli Restrictions on Aid

Israeli authorities deny restricting aid entering Gaza. Yet, both international organizations and local Palestinians report significant delays in permit approvals, prolonged inspections, and obstacles that slow the delivery of goods Gaza urgently needs, including non-food essentials and construction materials.

The United Nations and numerous aid agencies have repeatedly called for the reopening of border crossings to facilitate humanitarian aid, warning that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis remains catastrophic, with large portions of pledged assistance still undelivered since the ceasefire began.

The continued closure of the Rafah crossing has left Gaza heavily reliant on alternative points such as Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), which is under full Israeli security control and subject to complex inspection procedures.

These conditions complicate discussions about the new administration’s effectiveness, as the committee’s ability to manage reconstruction and services is directly tied to its freedom to move goods and materials.

Life Under Siege

Asmaa Manoun, 45, from northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, waits anxiously for improvements. She lost one of her children in the recent conflict and now lives with her husband, Mohammad, who was injured during the war, in the stairwell of a partially destroyed building in Gaza City. A simple tarpaulin barely shields them.

“Most of the time, my phone isn’t charged, and the internet doesn’t work. We rely on neighbors and local discussions to hear about updates,” Asmaa explained.

She had attempted to return to her home in southern Gaza but had to retreat due to ongoing Israeli shelling and gunfire, including a fatal shot that killed a woman in a nearby tent. Safety remains a distant hope.

Mohammad, 49, stood beside her, expressing his hope that the NGAC could organize aid distribution and restore some measure of governance in Gaza.

“We hear promises, but in reality, life hasn’t changed in two years. The situation is beyond difficult—we haven’t received aid, food parcels, or tents for months. Chaos continues, and Israel seems to use aid as a means of punishment,” he said.