Almost three weeks after the ceasefire was announced, the people of Gaza are still waiting for the promised relief. The occupation authorities continue to block the entry of essential humanitarian supplies, defying the agreement’s terms and prolonging the suffering of an already shattered population. What was supposed to be a pause for recovery has instead become another phase of collective punishment, one marked by hunger, disease, and despair.

Despite the truce’s commitment to allow hundreds of aid trucks to enter daily, barely a small fraction has reached Gaza. Health officials say less than 15 percent of the needed shipments, including medical equipment, fuel, and food, have been permitted through. Meanwhile, sporadic gunfire, drone surveillance, and shelling along the eastern border, cynically dubbed the “yellow line”, continue to shatter the illusion of calm. The blockade of crossings, humanitarian workers say, remains the most severe violation of all, leaving Gaza’s civilians abandoned amid broken promises.

Markets have begun to reopen, but shelves are lined with non-essential goods, chocolates, crisps, and biscuits, while staples like bread, fresh vegetables, and baby formula remain out of reach. Protein-rich foods are a luxury for most families, their prices soaring beyond what ordinary people can afford. Hospitals, too, teeter on the brink of collapse, their generators running on the last drops of fuel, and doctors forced to ration medicines that should never have been scarce in the first place.

“The ceasefire may have stopped the bombs,” one aid worker said, “but the hunger, fear, and exhaustion continue to kill in silence.” For Gaza, peace remains a promise written in words, not deeds.