Rebuilding in the Rubble: Between ruin & renewal, Gaza’s ceasefire through the eyes of Bahaa Zaqout

Joining Delano D'Souza, Deir el-Balah resident and humanitarian responder Bahaa Zaqout offers us a glimpse of Gaza at a crossroads, where a tenuous calm overlays a land in ruins. He describes a slight turn toward normalcy now that the relentless daily bombing has ceased: aid convoys entering without looting, food supplies stabilizing, displaced families tentatively returning. Yet he warns that this moment remains very volatile and the violence continues, albeit at a much lower level: "There is shooting every day and every moment" as Hamas seeks to "take over or take control of the Gaza Strip, not limited to the areas that the Israelis have withdrawn from". Hamas and other factions violently vie for control. Mr. Zaqout’s own family has lost their home and have sought refuge within the ruins. Gaza’s survival hinges not solely on relief, but on reconstruction, human dignity, and political will to build a new foundation and future. He insists that the external world must rapidly shift from sympathy to accountability.