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Trucks loaded with food and humanitarian aid seen on Salah al-Din Road east of Khan Younis, Gaza, January 21, 2025. /CFP
Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of Hamas' political bureau, announced on Tuesday that Gaza is entering a new phase focused on removing the effects of Israeli aggression and beginning the rebuilding process.
In a video message released by Hamas, Al-Hayya said, "We are now entering a new phase in our noble Gaza, a phase of construction, solidarity, and removing the effects of aggression to rebuild."
"We will rebuild Gaza, ease the pain, heal the wounds, and bring comfort to the orphans," he added.
Basem Naeem, another member of Hamas' political bureau, announced that people will be able to move freely between the southern and northern parts of the Gaza Strip "in both directions" on January 25.
Also on Tuesday, a surge of humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip, with leading priorities including healthcare, food, water and shelter, as well as opening bakeries and aiding family reunifications.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the office and its partners visiting the Jabalia camp in North Gaza governorate found people creating makeshift shelters in the middle of the rubble.
"There is also a critical lack of access to water, with all wells destroyed, and the risk of unexploded ordnance remains high," OCHA said. "We and our humanitarian partners are mobilizing for food and emergency shelter support."
"According to our partners working on the shelter response, more than 90 percent of housing units in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed over the past 15 months," OCHA said. "Given the scale of destruction and needs in Gaza, we are working to get vital aid to people as fast as humanly possible."
The office also urged UN member states and partners to ensure that aid operations are funded to meet the overwhelming needs.
When asked if there was an increase in aid trucks getting into Gaza, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that 915 trucks crossed into Gaza on Monday, based on information received through the Israeli authorities and the guarantors for the ceasefire agreement. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire-for-hostages deal on January 15 after intensive mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
The ceasefire, which began on January 19, has three phases. The first phase, lasting 42 days, includes the release of 33 Israeli hostages, while Israel will free over 1,890 Palestinian prisoners.
Since October 7, 2023, Hamas and Israel have been engaged in a brutal war that has resulted in the deaths of about 47,000 Palestinians, a humanitarian crisis and widespread destruction in Gaza.
The war began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking approximately 250 hostages. In response, Israel conducted massive retaliatory strikes.
(With input from Xinhua)