As Four-Day 'Truce' In War On Gaza Begins, Humanitarian Aid Enters Besieged Enclave; 'Nightmare Will Return Soon,' Residents Say

As a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas began on Friday, people in Palestine's Gaza started receiving desperately needed aid from Egypt including food, fuel, water and medical supplies. The aid is entering via the Rafah crossing into the the beseiged enclave which has been under a total Israeli blockade since October 7. 

Hours before the 'ceasefire' deal was yet to come into effect, a strike leveled a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 12 people, according to officials at nearby Al-Aqsa Hospital. Palestinian news agency Wafa said seven more people were wounded by Israeli forces as they attempted to go back to their homes in northern Gaza. 

The Israeli military has warned hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge in southern Gaza not to attempt to return to their homes in the northern half of the territory, the focus of Israel's ground offensive.

As part of the ceasefire deal, Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in their October 7 attack on Israel. In turn, Israel is to free three Palestinian prisoners for each released hostage. The releases are to take place in stages over the next four days.

While the Gazans breathed a sigh of relief after a truce was announced, many of them also feared that the “nightmare” would return soon. “We need thousands of trucks to rebuild Gaza again; we need years and decades more to rebuild Gaza again," a resident of Gaza tells Al Jazeera. 

Israel has made it clear that the truce doesn't signify an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will press ahead with the war, that has already killed over 13,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis, after the ceasefire lapses.