EMERGENCY on the Announcement of an Initial Peace Agreement in Gaza

EMERGENCY is following the announcement of an initial peace agreement that would lead to the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the entry of humanitarian aid and the release of hostages. EMERGENCY will continue to support the population, whose needs remain enormous and who have been living in dire conditions for two years.

“The announcement of a ceasefire has been greeted with enormous joy here in Gaza,” says Alessandro Migliorati, EMERGENCY’s Head of Mission in Gaza. “Yet, although happy, some of our colleagues and patients at the clinic this morning are maintaining a cautious optimism about the stability of this ceasefire, given the precedent set in March, and about the future challenges facing the Gaza Strip. There were more bombings last night. We hope they really are the last and that this ceasefire will be permanent, because 90% of homes here have been destroyed, and health services devastated. EMERGENCY will remain, offering help to the Palestinian population during this next phase.”

EMERGENCY has been in Gaza since August 2024 and today runs a primary healthcare clinic in al-Qarara (Khan Younis) that provides first aid, basic medical and surgical care for adults and children, outpatient reproductive health services, post-operative nursing follow-up, stabilisation of medical and surgical emergencies, and transfers to hospitals. Since November 2024, EMERGENCY has supported a medical clinic in al-Mawasi, set up by the local organisation, Culture & Free Thought Association.

Across both clinics, EMERGENCY sees an average of 600 patients per day.

“It’s wonderful news, but many people are only half-smiling,” says Giorgio Monti, EMERGENCY’s Medical Coordinator in Gaza. “They tell me, ‘Now the hard work begins, rebuilding everything.’ It has been an extreme two years, full of suffering, violence, hunger and famine. We hope that the population here can return to a dignified life as soon as possible. The announcement of a peace agreement is for now only a wish, a beautiful dream that we hope will materialise in the coming days.”