Untreated diseases could eventually kill more people in Gaza than bombings if the health system is not restored, the World Health Organisation says. Diarrhoea and respiratory infections are widespread among children in overcrowded UN facilities where almost 1.1 million people are sheltering. The warning comes as a truce between Israel and Hamas continues to hold for now. This move to facilitate the release of hostages and the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza is a welcome development in the midst of unspeakable suffering that the war has inflicted on the Palestinians. Though temporary, the agreement will bring much-needed immediate relief and provide a window of opportunity for the warring sides to work out a more sustainable peace plan that ends the misery of the people trapped in a war.
In the long term, an independent Palestine state, alongside Israel, is the only solution. For now, both sides should not violate the terms of the truce agreement as it would undo the mediation efforts made by Qatar and other countries to bring Israel and Hamas to the negotiating table. Much will depend on whether Hamas will release all hostages or keep some of them back as a bargaining chip. A sense of fatigue is creeping into the region as it grapples with the deadly consequences of the ongoing war, triggered by the 7 October Hamas attack.