AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

Israelis and Palestinians are marking two years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Almost 1,200 people were killed. About 250 were taken hostage. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. In Israel, a moment of silence was held today to remember the victims of October 7th.

For Palestinians, today marks the start of a third year of a genocide that’s left much of Gaza uninhabitable. The official death toll in Gaza surpassed 67,000, but that number is believed to be a vast underestimate. More than 460 Palestinians have starved to death as famine spreads across Gaza — about a quarter of them are believed to be children. An estimated 2,700 Palestinian families have been completely erased from the civil registry over the past two years.

On Monday, ceasefire talks began in Egypt over President Trump’s 20-point plan, that includes a call for the swap of all remaining hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, as well as an eventual Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza. But major questions remain over what both Israel and Hamas will agree to.

We begin today’s show — this segment in Gaza. We’re joined by Eyad Amawi, representative of the Gaza Relief Committee, coordinator for local NGOs, based in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

We tried to reach you yesterday but had technical problems. Eyad, describe what’s happening on the ground.

EYAD AMAWI: Thank you, Amy.

I hope also the ceasefire will be implemented soon. But the real situation here over the ground, nothing tangible changed. But they held some huge bombardment attacks and explosive robotics. But yesterday night, they returned, attacked al-Shati camp in the western part of the Gaza City with a huge bombardment and caused more than — within the last 48 hours, more than 50 martyrs and more than 50 injuries.

So, the situation is something like stabilizing the current situation without huge bombardments for all hours, but still attacking between time to time. And also they stay here to Gaza town, and they prevent the coastal road, and they prevent the return of the civilians again to the Gaza City. And they announced officially they prevent al-Rashid Street, used by our displacement people to return to the Gaza City. So, the situation is just constant and stabilized with the current situation, with no tangible changes over the ground here. And also, there is no withdrawals from the encaged area around the Gaza City especially and the east part of Rafah and Khan Younis, so the situation is just stabilized like that.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Eyad Amawi, could you talk about the dire need for — not only for food, tents and medicines, but, actually, as you’re mentioning, for water? If the plan is adopted, who will control access to the border crossings, and who will ensure that the humanitarian aid gets in?

EYAD AMAWI: Yeah, this is a big question, [inaudible]. You know, there is no — nothing now clear for us as NGOs or local NGOs to coordinate the distribution of food. But the needs is really worsen more and more. There is nothing entering Gaza, especially within these days when they announce hard attacks. So, our needs, especially we need more than 600 trucks day by day for our — to meet our humanitarian needs. But, you know, until now, there is no nothing over the ground clear how we can deliver and how can we distribute the [inaudible]. But, you know, in the previous time, we have all mechanism with cooperation with NGOs and UNRWA and WFP and other organizations. So, in my thoughts, we will depend over the very well-calculated policy with international community, NGOs. And we can manage that, as compared to the previous ceasefire agreement that [inaudible] from the Israeli occupation forces.

AMY GOODMAN: What about your response to what Trump has proposed, and the fact that Trump supposedly told Netanyahu to stop the bombardment of Gaza during this period of the negotiations, but he’s refused?

EYAD AMAWI: Yeah, we welcome with any peace agreement that will bring peace for us, especially when the Mr. President Trump announced that, and we welcome, really, we feel, with the mixed feelings, with the worries, with the happiness, with the sadness. But the reality over the ground, still the situation worsening and going, because the heart of attacks is not complete. So, we hope that a ceasefire agreement will completely implemented and we can reinforce our society here and renew the life and return the hope for our civilians and children also.

AMY GOODMAN: Thank you very much for being with us, Eyad Amawi, representative of the Gaza Relief Committee and a coordinator for local NGOs, based in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.