Palestinians find little comfort in truce talks

The marathon negotiations involving politicians are of little comfort to the beleaguered people of Gaza. Gaza is the subject of debate as Hamas and Israel continue their back-and-forth ceasefire talks in Egypt, the Arab states stage three separate summits, the UN secretary-general tours the region and the Israeli foreign minister jets to Washington.

"Now people are actually hoping - they think there is a possibility to stop the fire," said Huda, a 22-year-old teacher from Gaza City. Her house is just minutes from the Tel Al Hawa neighbourhood where the most intense shelling took place on Thursday. Last week Gazans placed their hopes on the United Nations Security Council, which did call for an immediate ceasefire.

Their hopes were dashed the next day when the Israeli government responded to the resolution with more bombing. Last week Israeli Foreign Minster Tzipi Livni stated in a luxury hotel in Israel that the bombing will stop, "whenever Israel decides. You light a candle of hope and then it goes out, and then you light another one," says Huda.

Huda and her family have been trapped indoors for three weeks now mainly without electricity and often without running water. An explosion blew out the windows of their house, in the upscale Rimal neighbourhood, in the early days of the bombardment, so there is nothing to shelter the family from the frigid January air. Many of Huda's cousins have moved into her house, as Rimal is perceived to be safer than other areas of the city.

Huda, however, is aware of the reality that there is no shelter in Gaza: "People move from house to house, but where can they go, really?" As she speaks, displaced families stream past her blown-out windows.

- Bilal Badwan is a journalist based in Gaza