Civilians in Gaza anxiously awaited a pause on Friday after 15 months of merciless war as Israel’s cabinet met in Jerusalem to finalize a temporary ceasefire deal with Hamas.
As they waited, Israel launched airstrikes along the strip, killing at least 113 people since a deal in principle was agreed on Wednesday night, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Civil Defense Agency.
The deal, finalized on Friday afternoon, is due to take effect on Sunday, leaving just over 24 hours for Gazans to wait for respite.
“Time is running slower than ever,” said Dr. Abdullah Shabir, 27, an emergency physician at Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. “At any moment you can lose your life,” he said. “Sitting at home, walking down the street – no warning.”
Dr. Shabir was on shift at the hospital on Wednesday night when news of the ceasefire agreement broke. There was a brief moment of joy, he said, but less than an hour separated the announcement from the start of a wave of airstrikes that sent a stream of dead and wounded into Baptista.
They called all the employees. “It was as bad as we’ve ever seen,” Dr. Shabir said in a phone call from the hospital. “Severe injuries, severe burns. Of course, there are many dead.”
