Just before the four day truce was set to end on Monday, the international negotiating team was able to secure an agreement for an additional two days.
During the four day truce, despite multiple Israeli violations of the agreed-upon terms (including shooting and killing a number of Palestinian civilians), Palestinians who had been displaced from northern to southern Gaza returned to their homes to examine the extent of the destruction.
More footage emerges from Gaza amid the temporary truce showcasing how Israel has been methodically wiping out as much of the besieged enclave as possible.
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) November 27, 2023
The destruction is severe – with Israeli forces having dropped the equivalent tonnage of two atomic bombs on the besieged Gaza Strip over a period of five weeks – more than half of the homes in Gaza have been destroyed, with the residents of the homes now rendered homeless.
During the truce period, Israeli officials have prevented Palestinians from celebrating the release of women and children who had been held hostage by Israel – some of whom had been held for years. In addition, Israeli forces prevented Palestinians in Gaza from going to the sea, and shot at Palestinians returning to see what was left of their homes and property in northern Gaza.
Footage has emerged of Israel violating the truce today, only an hour into it.
Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians returning to their homes, killing two.pic.twitter.com/cVuILd1sIf
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) November 24, 2023
The Israeli government released 117 Palestinian hostages during the four-day truce, but during the same time period they have abducted 116 new Palestinian prisoners from areas across the occupied West Bank, including a large number of children, according to the prisoner rights group Addameer.
While Israel is releasing some Palestinian children from its jails as part of prisoners-hostages swap truce, also arresting dozens of Palestinian children from the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/kCVF7WtbNS
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) November 27, 2023
Hospital workers in the northern Gaza Strip have reported that Israeli forces prevented fuel from reaching their facilities in the northern part of Gaza. All of the hospitals in northern Gaza have been shut down completely for the past two weeks. Now, the lack of fuel for electric generators is preventing them from becoming operational again, despite the extreme need for hospital facilities to treat the thousands of wounded Palestinians.
On the Egyptian coast south of Gaza, a French hospital ship has arrived to help treat the wounded Palestinians. The French ship arrived at the Al-Arish seaport, in the presence of a high-level French delegation. The ship is a floating hospital with a capacity of 40 beds, 25 inpatient beds, 15 intermediate care beds, 5 pediatric care beds, 2 equipped operating rooms and 20 French doctors.
Through coordination between the Egyptian and Palestinian Ministries of Health and the French delegation, thousands of Palestinian patients will be transferred for treatment to the French hospital. Egyptian officials reported that 150 ambulances equipped with the highest level of equipment have been allocated at the Rafah crossing, to provide medical service to those crossing from the Gaza Strip to Egypt.
A delegation from the Qatari government also arrived at the southern border of Gaza to show solidarity and aid for the people of Gaza who have been under constant Israeli bombardment from October 7th through Friday November 24th.
A Qatari official told reporters that their delegation also helped negotiate an extension of the truce, adding, “The Qatari operations team also coordinated with Israeli officials to ensure the continuation of the truce and the smooth release of prisoners.”
