Following news of the cease-fire plan agreement, small crowds gathered on the streets of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza early Thursday to celebrate by singing and dancing in the darkness.
In a video obtained by Reuters, children can be seen clapping together and music blaring from speakers.
The news spread slowly, and because it was late at night and there was no internet connection, many people only found out about it when they woke up in the morning. Still, by sunrise there was a sense of joy and relief, said a UNICEF spokesperson in Gaza.
“This is a moment that can be seen as the historic moment that the Palestinian people have been waiting for after two years of murder and genocide carried out in an arrogant manner against the Palestinian people,” Khaled Shaat, a resident of Khan Yunis, said, according to Reuters.
“Everyone in Gaza is happy” about the announcement, said Abdul Majeed Abd Rabbo, another resident. “All Arab people, the whole world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of the bloodshed,” he said, according to Reuters.
Remember: More than 67,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed and another 169,841 injured in Gaza since the war began, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced Wednesday.
The actual death toll is believed to be much higher, according to the ministry, the United Nations and humanitarian groups.
In September, an independent UN investigation declared for the first time that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The findings are consistent with those of other genocide experts and human rights organizations, but are categorically rejected by the Israeli government.
