The first days of the Gaza ceasefire

This week we have witnessed the first Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released following the signing of the ceasefire deal. More exchanges are expected over the coming weeks.

Meanwhile some displaced people in Gaza have begun returning to see what is left of their communities, and convoys of lorries have started delivering humanitarian aid.

In our conversations, we hear from both sides of the conflict. While many welcome
the end to the fighting, there is recognition of the trauma caused and uncertainty about whether the ceasefire can hold.

“We are still in the midst of the trauma,” Udi in Israel tells us. “What needs to happen is that both peoples need to create a new narrative for the future.

“I need time to cry, I need time for silence, I need time to even relax,” says Asma, an English teacher displaced in a refugee camp in central Gaza. “I don’t know how long this time will be, but I thank God that I’m still alive.”

We also bring together three aid workers on the scale of the challenge ahead, with so much of the territory in ruins.

Host: Luke Jones
BBC producers: Isabella Bull, Angela Sheeran, Luke Hastings and Laura Cress
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the BBC OS team.

(Photo: A Palestinian woman reacts as she returns to her destroyed house, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, January 19, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)