Salwa El Tibi, Gaza Programme Manager Save the Children UK, writes from Gaza

Jan. 13, 2009

We heard about the ceasefire at 12.30 today. It ended at 4 and, at five past 4 exactly, the shelling started again. As soon as the bombing stopped, I went to the shops where I went to get food for me and my children. I noticed Gaza is very sad. There are few cars on the street. I expected to see 100s of people out on the street but there weren't many at all. I saw some going to the shops. I didn't manage to get bread for my children as there were so many people waiting. I went to 4 bakers and I didn't find any for my children.

3 hours believe me, is not enough. It finished so quickly. If we want to work and go to the north and to the south to reach children who need our help, we need more time. It takes time to distribute humanitarian aid.

I went to the Save the Children office to download my emails for the first time since 27th December. Imagine, it was quarter to 3 when I looked at my watch and I had to rush to the shop.

Everyone was in a hurry to get food and supplies. Most of the people out were complaining and saying 'It's not enough, it's not enough'. There were lots of people queuing. Children, women, old men, youths. Everyone was waiting.

So far Save the Children have distributed 2103 aid parcels in total in the Gaza strip. It's so important for us to provide aid in this situation. I feel so happy when I find we're one of the first organisations in terms of the aid we are providing. It's really good for the people.

Save the Children have even found 750 food parcels with a vendor in the south who started to distribute today. We were keeping parcels in our warehouse in Gaza city for the south, but, because Gaza has been split into 2, we can't reach them, so are using them for the north.

But, even now, Gaza city has only received 180 food parcels and there's such a high need for more. We only have 600 food parcels left in the Save the Children stores. We need more.

We didn't get anything across the border today. But toys, blankets, first aid kits and hygiene kits are expected tomorrow. This is what I heard yesterday. Inshallah, I hope they will succeed to get them into Gaza.

I have heard that there will be another ceasefire tomorrow for 3 hours but it's not confirmed. If there is, we hope to contact our volunteers in Gaza city and in the North to come to our warehouse and to help distribute more food.

All of the people are suffering. A huge number. Yesterday I received an appeal from a school in Beach Camp who haven't got any mattresses. Some people haven't got blankets even. There are 7000 living in this beach camp. And everyone's trying to sleep in these schools. They are getting some food here, but it's not enough.

We started to look for mattresses yesterday, but there aren't any in Gaza. We need more money so we can find these supplies and bring them across the border. The children are suffering such trauma too. They're thinking such bad thoughts about the killing and about the blood.

As I talk, we haven't heard bombing for half an hour, so my daughter is so happy. I can hear her laughing.

The ceasefire today was good. When I was walking outside and seeing people going to the shop and seeing the children playing football, I was very happy. But only having 3 hours! We were so angry. We thought 'Come on! So quickly!' They started bombing at 4pm exactly and demolished a house in the north!

Yesterday was the first time in nine days that I was able to leave my house.

It is about a 10 minute journey from my home to the warehouse where the Save the Children food parcels are stored - but even as I drove the Save the Children car to work, I felt very afraid.

The noise from the bombings was so loud. There were very few cars on the roads and all of the shops were closed.

I saw three buildings that had been completely destroyed.

At the warehouse I waited for our volunteer staff who help to distribute our food parcels across different parts of Gaza.

When we distribute the parcels we work in groups because it is so dangerous.

The volunteers packed their cars with the parcels and headed out to different parts of Gaza City and the north.

Although they are volunteers we will give them some money because it is dangerous work.

One of our volunteers, Eyad, was distributing parcels in the beach camp when a huge bomb went off. By chance he is still alive.

It is really very difficult but we have to do this. It is an excellent achievement that we can provide humanitarian aid in these areas.

When I had spent more than four hours working in the warehouse I asked the warehouse owner to call my husband to let him know that I was okay. My husband said that I should come back home, so I left the warehouse feeling very afraid about the journey back.

We prioritise distributing our food parcels to families with many children. Our selection criteria mean that every home with five or more children should receive our parcels but we wish we could reach more families. Some are in dire need of our help.

Eyad distributed 184 parcels in Gaza yesterday.

Half of all the parcels have now been handed out. The other half will go to the south but there are some areas we cannot reach because of the situation.

Today we are very busy because we are trying to assess the needs of some hospitals in the Gaza. A doctor told us they are in urgent need of bed covers, doctor's coats, scrubs and gauze pads.

We are lucky because when we called the medical vendors we managed to track down some of these supplies. Right now we are assessing our budget and then tomorrow we will start to distribute these supplies to the Kamal Edwan hospital in the north and to other clinics in Gaza.

Every morning, I evaluate the situation to see if I can leave the house. Today, for example, I could not move at all so I am working from home. Ramsey, my colleague, lives close to the office and the warehouse is working with me to get these supplies out to the places where they are needed.

I cannot promise that I will be able to leave the house tomorrow either but I can promise that by 11am tomorrow, Ramsey will get these medical supplies to the hospitals regardless of the security situation.

It is like an earthquake here. If you could only hear the bombs going off.

I have five blankets covering my legs because it is so cold. All of my children have five blankets on them too. Every minute there is a bomb.

I am a strong woman. If I saw a person die, I can stop and help and be strong, but in this situation I feel that I cannot do anything.

When I was driving the car yesterday, I felt very faint. How will they know it is a woman driving this car, I thought. Even if it has a Save the Children logo, they still would not know.

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