Gaza: When Steve Witkoff announced “phase two” of the ceasefire, it seemed like the update everyone in Gaza was looking for. Phase Two really made it seem like things might be turning around in his words, with the exception of phase two.
Another announcement arrived less than 24 hours later. A new “Board of Peace” was created by the White House and is tasked with establishing a technocratic body that would oversee post-war Gaza. Dr. Ali Shaath, a former Palestinian official, will serve as the committee’s chairperson as part of a forward-looking reconstruction and stability strategy.
It appears to be a movement on the surface. similar to a structure like imagining a world without war.
There isn’t a sense of confidence in Gaza, though. There is a lot of doubt.
When the destruction is still visible everywhere, and no one has been held accountable, many Palestinians here struggle to comprehend how a board intended to rebuild Gaza can include those who have publicly supported Israel.
Buildings are still standing in ruins. Families are still grieving. The entire neighborhood has vanished. Talk of governance and reconstruction seems to be aback in light of this.
The contradiction is difficult to ignore for families who have lost their homes, loved ones, and sense of security. It’s difficult to assume any future will be built by those who appear unaffected by the present suffering and unaffected by responsibility for it.
Nothing has really changed for those whose daily routine is characterized by the constant buzz of Israeli air strikes and sudden Israeli air attacks.
Parents are still pondering where their kids will sleep tonight. Aid workers still determine their routes based on where they are most in need rather than which roads will actually keep them alive. Families continue to hush up at night, trying to discern whether the silence will last or if fighting will reappear.
These official statements, exactly? They distance themselves from what is actually happening. Although a second phase might be included in a news release, the majority of people still feel stuck in their original state.
Speeches and headlines don’t seem to have a ceasefire in your opinion. You sense it in the sudden silence, the easing in your chest, and the nights that don’t end in a jolt when you hear something missing. That is what people are anticipating. Not the milestone, but the label. simply the change itself.
It’s common to feel relieved and depressed after months of loss and exhaustion to think things are improving. The concept of progress is cherished by diplomats. Governments must declare that the momentum is growing. However, who actually leads this? They simply desire a steady object. They want to know that tomorrow will not be as bad as it was today and that they can rise up and not sneeze.
That feeling is not present, though. Promises are inconsistent, deadlines are slipping, and too many commitments fade into the background. This doesn’t seem like peace on the move for those who are affected; instead, it feels like everything is hanging by a thread and ready to snap at any moment. It doesn’t feel any safer just by calling it “phase two.”
Then there is the quieter pain of hope being inflated too thin. People learn to lower their expectations when official expressions don’t match reality. Hope turns into something you hold dear but don’t trust a lot because it hurts once more when you’re let down. Lacks trust when announcing progress before anyone can feel it. It is eroded by it.
This is not about removing diplomacy. Just be honest, really. People need to experience “phase two” in their daily lives: Fewer funerals, hospitals that operate, roads that don’t feel like traps, days when there isn’t always a fear.
Walking down the street without bracing yourself, sleeping through the night without making plans for a run in the event of an emergency creates real peace in those small, everyday moments.
“Phase two” is largely just a symbol up until those times appear. And no matter how optimistic they may seem, symbols can’t protect anyone. That is only possible with real change.
Source: Aljazeera
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