The ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas held for more than 24 hours in the first time in 29 days. The sound of ear-jarring rockets and warplanes weren’t heard at the Gaza Strip, however many people are still sheltered in UN camps, fearing that the truce might break at any time soon. The truce that came into effect at 8 a.m. local time is based on the Egyptian-proposed draft that was discussed by Palestinian factions in Cairo on Monday. It paves the way for further talks about a more permanent solution.

There is optimism that the truce would hold. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry suggested that both sides should use this time to negotiate. He said that a better approach would allow Israeli’s to have security and “a better life and greater freedoms for the Palestinians.”

“After the ceasefire agreement took effect, the world will now see the level of destruction which should serve as evidence of the level of crimes of the enemy,” said Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Al-Aqsa television.

The AFP reported that Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki told prosecutors of the International Criminal Court that there was “clear evidence” that Israel had committed war crimes.

On its part, Israel says that Hamas had fired more than 3,000 rockets at Israel since it launched Operation Protective Edge on July 8. Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said that Israel’s troops and tanks have been redeployed in “defensive position” indicating the readiness to resume fighting if necessary.

The cost to lives and property

Palestine: 1,900 Palestinians were killed, mainly civilians. The head of the Unicef office in Gaza says that the tragedy particularly harmed children with 392 minors killed and 2,502 injured, whereas 370,000 youngsters had traumatic experiences and need psychosocial support.

Economic cost to Palestine: $4-6 billion in almost a month of fighting, according to Palestine’s Deputy Economy Minister Taysir Amro. Many people’s homes have been destroyed with 270,000 people have sought shelter in 90 centers run by UN Relief and Works Agency whereas at least 200,000 have taken refuge with family members and friends.142 schools have been destroyed and there has been damaged to much of Gaza’s energy infrastructure.

Israel: 64 soldiers and 3 civilians died as a result of the fighting.