For Palestinians in Gaza, Phase 2 of the ceasefire offers little hope that it will fundamentally change the status quo Israel has established over the past three months, which many refer to as “a new form of genocide.”

Aid organizations say Israel’s recent ban of 37 groups has dealt a severe blow to humanitarian work across Palestine. In Gaza, it means “cutting off a lifeline for over two million people,” says Rahma Worldwide’s Dr. Shadi Zazzah.

Ahmad was married to Walaa for three days when a wall collapsed onto their tent during a winter storm in Gaza, killing her. In mourning, Ahmad now refuses to clean her blood off his mattress. His family says even though he survived, he is destroyed.

The majority of Gaza’s population now relies on foreign aid to secure food, water, and every other basic necessity. The Israeli government’s banning of 37 organizations that provide this vital aid will leave Palestinians without a means of survival.

As winter storms batter Gaza and cause catastrophic flooding for millions of displaced Palestinians, Israel has banned 37 international humanitarian organizations from working in the Strip, which is reliant on these organizations for survival.

The U.S. appears ready to reassess its tactics in carrying out Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza. The news vindicates the strategy Palestinians have used during the ceasefire to avoid the surrender Israel has demanded in exchange for ending the genocide. 

Under the relative calm of a ceasefire, Civil Defense crews in Gaza are undertaking the monumental feat of recovering thousands of bodies still trapped under the rubble.

Palestinian women in Gaza have faced widespread sexual violence during the Israeli genocide. Despite mountains of evidence, human rights groups face difficulties pursuing justice, as women live in fear of social stigma and reprisal from Israel.

Since mid-October, Israel has carried out an assassination campaign in Gaza targeting resistance leaders. Contacts within the resistance say Israel is trying to lure them back into direct confrontation to avoid fulfilling its ceasefire obligations.

Gaza’s Rafah border crossing was supposed to reopen in October as part of the ceasefire agreement. But the border remains closed, keeping Gaza shut off from the outside world and preventing families from reuniting with loves ones.