GAZA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- After Hamas announced on Tuesday that a ceasefire agreement and prisoner-for-hostage exchanges are possible if Israel stops imposing new conditions, 29-year-old Palestinian Bahaa al-Laqta expressed hope to live peacefully once the war ends.
"Everything in Gaza is telling us that we will not be able to live in peace, yet we do not have any chance to change the situation, we are all innocent civilians," said Laqta, a Palestinian from Gaza City now displaced to a makeshift tent in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
"We paid a high price for this war despite we have not been involved in any military activity against Israel. We are looking forward to living in peace with the Israelis without being involved in any war," he added.
Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,097, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday.
So far, about 80.5 percent of the Gaza Strip's territory has been placed under evacuation orders that remain active, excluding those that were subsequently rescinded, according to the UN on Tuesday.
Indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas have been on and off in the past months, with Qatar, Egypt, and the United States as the main mediators.
In recent weeks, the indirect negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza have gained momentum. On Tuesday, Hamas referred to the ceasefire talks in Doha, Qatar, as "serious and positive."
"Despite the bloody war and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, I am still holding out the hope of witnessing a ceasefire soon and returning to normal life in 2025," said Mohammed al-Habib, another Palestinian displaced to Deir al-Balah.
The 46-year-old father of six was forced to flee his home in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah in May when the Israeli army stormed the city. Despite this, he remains optimistic about his family's future.
"When we survived the Israeli attacks, I felt we had golden luck, and that's what keeps me optimistic that we will survive the current crazy war," he said.
"I am only looking forward to resuming my life when I return to Rafah. Even if the army destroyed it, we could rebuild it again," he said.
Khalil al-Bardawil, a Palestinian man from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza displaced to Deir al-Balah, said he is looking forward to good news about a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
He expressed hope that talks would lead to a truce, allowing Gazans to resume their lives.
"I lost everything: my home, my work, my life, and three of my children. But I want to return to my hometown and live in peace," he said. ■