Aid pours into Gaza as ceasefire enters fourth day

More than 2,400 aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas took effect, according to United Nations officials, as attention shifted to rebuilding the enclave devastated during 15 months of intensive Israeli bombardment.

During the conflict, aid flows to the blockaded enclave were severely restricted.

As the truce entered its fourth day Wednesday, video from Reuters showed convoys of trucks carrying humanitarian aid rolling into Rafah, in Gaza’s south. In one, Palestinians were seen running after the trucks along the city’s battered roads as they scrambled to pick up purple plastic aid bags that had fallen off. In another, they were seen picking up plastic water bottles from the ground, flanked by the ruins of damaged buildings.

The U.N. previously estimated that around 60% of Gaza’s infrastructure has been destroyed, including schools and hospitals. Aid and fuel deliveries were severely restricted during the conflict, prompting international criticism of Israel.

More than 47,000 people have been killed in Israeli bombing during the conflict, according to local health officials. Meanwhile, around 90% of Gaza’s population — almost 1.9 million people — have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in tent camps and other makeshift shelters, according to the United Nations.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli officials must allow at least 600 truckloads of aid, including 50 carrying fuel, to enter Gaza daily during the initial six weeks. Half of those trucks will be directed to Gaza’s north, where experts had warned famine was imminent.

A senior U.N. official told Reuters on Wednesday that so far, there had been no apparent law-and-order issues in ensuring the flow of aid into the besieged area. Looters and criminal gangs have raided aid trucks during the conflict, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that killed 1,200 and saw some 250 taken hostage.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the aid would extend to providing food assistance and health care, including opening bakeries, restocking hospitals, repairing water networks and shelters, and reuniting families.

In the al-Dahra area in central Khan Younis, NBC News captured video of uniformed officers from al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, stationed along the streets to supervise trucks and ensure the safe delivery of aid into the city Monday.

Abdul Wahab Abdul Raouf Samour, 40, a police officer, was deployed to patrol the streets and facilitate the traffic along the enclave.

“We were informed by the Interior Ministry to wear military uniforms and military suits and head directly to work,” he told NBC News’ team Monday, adding that Palestinian officials had instructed those deployed to ensure security measures were in place to prevent looting.

“As you see, we are facilitating the traffic movement for the cities, and, God willing, we hope to serve our people more than this,” he added.

Across the enclave, video captured by NBC News showed scenes of ash-covered buildings and streets lined with the shattered debris from homes and shops. Other drone footage captured Gaza before and after the 15 months of the war, showing how its cities had been decimated.

But even the promise of a ceasefire could not protect some Palestinians in Gaza looking to rebuild their lives as Israeli airstrikes continued in Khan Younis on Monday.

When Ahmed Qudra, 35, stepped out of his home to buy his seven children chicken wings from the market, he was killed by Israeli missiles that struck a vehicle carrying security forces and killed four security officers. The attack also took the lives of three of Qudra’s children while injuring two others.

“We went to bed believing the ceasefire started at 8:30. How could we have known that things had changed? How could we have known our happiness would turn into devastation?” Hanan, Qudra’s wife, told NBC News’ ground crew through tears.

“On Friday, we asked him to bring us chicken wings. He said he would. Now he’s gone,” said 12-year-old son Adel, who saw his father and siblings killed.