Truce due to take effect at 7am (0500 GMT) with Hamas to release 13 women and children later, according to Qatar; unclear when Palestinian women and children will be released
- Israel and Palestine: a complete guide to the crisis
Ziad, a 35-year-old Palestinian in Gaza, has been keeping a diary for the Guardian. In case you missed the latest instalment, here’s an excerpt:
I am walking with Ahmad when we pass a bombed house. The house has collapsed and looks like a pile of giant Lego pieces. The surprising part is that there is one part of the house that is still perfectly fine – the kitchen and the room next to it on the second floor fell in one piece over the rubble. Even the kitchen sink is perfectly fine.
I stop for a while to look at the scene and think of the owners and how they would feel every time they pass by. I bet there have been a lot of happy moments in that kitchen, cooking meals for family gatherings, and maybe gossiping about what’s happening. The next room could be a playroom for the children or maybe a teenager lying on their bed thinking of their crush.
The living here are the ones who are dead.
The last thing he [my son] said to me was that he was waiting for the truce on Friday. He asked me to prepare him a feast of rice and chicken.
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