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'We have mixed feelings:' Gaza researcher describes mood on ground after ceasefire

An IDF Humvee moves near the Gaza Strip border as seen from inside southern Israel on January 19, 2025, the first day of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI
1 of 3 | An IDF Humvee moves near the Gaza Strip border as seen from inside southern Israel on January 19, 2025, the first day of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire. Photo by Jim Hollander/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 19 (UPI) -- An artist and arts researcher in Gaza said that Palestinians in the enclave have mixed feelings as the ceasefire takes effect Sunday.

Ghanem Alden, speaking to UPI by text message, said people in Gaza remain "suspicious at every moment" that the ceasefire has come too late, after 15 months of destruction.

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"We are innocent and do not deserve this madness, and we are still living its painful repercussions, looking for what is left of our homes, people and families, and we are healing our wounds and the loss of many of the civilian victims," Alden said.

"The form of the ceasefire is like a myth that is told and not believed. It is a lifeline for all those who have suffered without guilt and the presence of criminals who want to shatter the hopes of peaceful peoples and kill people's dreams for political gains at the expense of victims and human suffering."

But Alden said the ceasefire "may be a favorable opportunity" for artists particularly to catch their "troubled and intermittent breaths" to be able to paint again with calmness.

"[We hope that the calm] will last so that life continues without pain," Alden said.

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"Let's paint something we love with what we have left of the colors we find amidst the destruction and among the rubble. Our lines and colors may be characterized by the hopeful renewal of everything in life and stories."

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