More than 5,000 missions, including humanitarian, health, rescue, and relief operations, were carried out by Gaza government bodies in the past 24 hours, the Gaza Government Media Office said Saturday, as first steps in a new ceasefire plan come into effect.
As part of a comprehensive emergency plan aimed at gradually restoring life, Gaza municipalities conducted more than 900 services for the restoration of water and sewage service, removal of debris and waste, and opening streets in residential areas.
Civil defence teams, along with other officers, worked in more than 850 operations to retrieve the bodies of deceased civilians from the rubble.
The Health Ministry carried out over 1,200 medical missions, including surgical operations and emergency treatment.
Shelter and food were provided for displaced civilians by governmental organisations and partner institutions in more than 700 operations.
Field activities were documented by several organisations to provide accurate data.
Psychosocial support activities were provided for children and vulnerable groups in over 650 community missions.
“These national efforts are being carried out amid the massive destruction left by the (Israeli) occupation, which has devastated more than 90 percent of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, destroyed around 300,000 housing units, and forcibly displaced 2 million people, in the face of severe shortages of fuel, water, communications, and essential supplies,” the statement added.
More than 8,000 government employees were killed by the Israeli army while on duty, according to the Gaza Government figures.
The government called on the international community and humanitarian groups to provide field support and logistical supplies, in addition to the immediate lifting of the blockade and the opening of all crossings without political conditions.
After a ceasefire took effect on Friday, tens of thousands of Palestinians set off towards areas vacated by Israeli forces, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
Displaced return
Thousands of displaced civilians departed from southern Gaza to their homes northward, most of them on foot. Some made the hours-long journey using the few vehicles still running amid fuel shortages, along with animal-drawn carts, bicycles, and motorcycles.
Simultaneously, thousands returned to their homes in central Gaza and some eastern parts of Khan Younis in the south, following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
The transfers from the south to the north were carried out via the coastal Al-Rashid Street in the west and the central Salah al-Din Road.
Hundreds of displaced civilians set up tents on the rubble of their homes upon returning.
Israeli withdrawal
A gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces toward the yellow line was completed on Friday in line with US President Donald Trump’s plan.
The occupying forces withdrew from Gaza City in the north, excluding the Shujaiah neighbourhood and some parts of the al-Tuffah and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, and the central and eastern parts of Khan Younis in the south.
Palestinians were prevented from entering Beit Hanoon and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
Gaza’s Interior Ministry forces and National Security Forces deployed on the main intersections and marketplaces in areas that the Israeli forces withdrew from, according to an Anadolu correspondent.
Trump announced Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a 20-point plan to bring a ceasefire to Gaza, release all Israeli captives being held there in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from entire Gaza.
The first phase of the deal came into force on Friday, 0900 GMT.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,700 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it largely uninhabitable.
