Gaza entered the third day of a ceasefire agreement brokered between Hamas and Israel, which came into effect on Sunday morning. Under the terms of the truce, three Israeli detainees were released in Gaza in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Since the ceasefire began, over 900 aid trucks have entered Gaza, providing vital supplies to the region. As of Tuesday, 940 trucks had crossed into Gaza from Egypt via the Al-Awja (Nitzana) and Kerem Shalom crossings. This included essential supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel. The daily flow of aid saw 330 trucks enter on Sunday, with 20 carrying fuel, followed by 350 trucks on Monday, 14 of which carried fuel, and an additional 260 trucks on Tuesday, including 23 fuel tankers. Hamas announced that the second phase of the prisoner exchange will take place as scheduled on 25 January. The exchange will see more Palestinian prisoners and Israeli detainees released. According to Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, the ceasefire has been implemented successfully, and mediation teams are coordinating efforts for the upcoming prisoner swap and the facilitation of Palestinian movement between the north and south of the Gaza Strip. While the ceasefire has allowed for a significant flow of aid, the toll of the ongoing conflict continues to be devastating. The Gaza Civil Defense reported the recovery of numerous bodies from the rubble, with 58 deaths discovered in the southern governorates on Monday alone. According to Gaza's government media office, the scale of destruction caused by the Israeli occupation is immense. The office reported 10,100 massacres, resulting in 61,182 deaths and missing persons, including 17,861 children and 12,316 women. In addition, 2,092 families were entirely wiped out, and the destruction of infrastructure is extensive, with over 100,000 tons of explosives dropped on the Strip and significant damage to health facilities. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to unfold as the ceasefire holds, though the full extent of the damage and loss of life remains heartbreaking.
