Inside Gaza as you have never seen before: Palestinians share footage of people swimming on the beach, shopping at markets and playing football in a rare glimpse of what life was like in the city before October 7

A Palestinian man has provided a rare glimpse of what life was like in Gaza before Hamas launched its horrific attack against Israel on October 7. 

The footage, which was shared by Palestinian freelance journalist Yousef Alhelou, shows people going about their daily lives in the northern part of the territory before the conflict ensued. 

One clip shows adults and children swimming in the sea and playing on the beach, while others show people playing football on an astro-turf pitch, shopping for fruit at an outdoor market and men fishing in the ocean from a boat. 

Israel began bombing the Gaza strip shortly after Hamas terrorists stormed across the  border into Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and taking 240 hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

Following the deadliest attack in Israel's history, nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run government. 

The videos were posted to Tik Tok by freelance journalist Yousef Alhelou, who has more than 39,000 followers on the social media platform. 

According to Reuters website, he has worked as a broadcast news correspondent and reporter since 2007, providing content for a number of local and international new outlets including the BBC, GRN, CBC radio Canada and TV New Zealand. 

It adds that he is a UN fellow and is 'one of the well known journalists in Gaza', where he has been covering topics including art, sport and humanitarian issues. 

Yousef has been covering the conflict for a number of years including key evnets in the past decade such as the two Israeli wars on Gaza in late 2008 and late 2012. 

He also runs the Gaza TV News page on Facebook which has  arpund 396,000 followers. 

Yousef has been posting on Tik Tok since January 2021 with many of his videos being filmed in London. 

The compilation of the clips from Gaza was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by London-based journalist Ahmed Alnaouq.

Ahmed recently appeared on Good Morning Britain, where he spoke about how he lost 21 members of his family in one week after their house was bombed in the war-torn Gaza strip. 

This included his father, two brothers, three sisters, sister-in-law and 14 nieces and nephews.

Ahmed told how his family had moved to his home in Gaza because they thought it would be safer than their own.

They were sleeping in the early morning of October 22 when the bombs struck - with only two of his family surviving. One of these later succumbed to their injuries.

The United Nations on Saturday said that 61 trucks carrying medical supplies, food and water had delivered their payloads in northern Gaza, as a pause in fighting allows aid to enter the besieged coastal territory.

Another 200 trucks had been dispatched to the Gaza Strip from Nitzana, Israel, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement, with 187 of them having made it past the border by the early evening local time.

Eleven ambulances, three coaches and a flatbed were delivered to Al-Shifa hospital, which had seen heavy fighting in recent days, 'to assist with evacuations,' the statement said.

'The longer the pause lasts, the more aid humanitarian agencies will be able to send in and across Gaza,' it added, thanking the Palestinian and Egyptian Red Crescent groups.

The day prior, when a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas began in order to facilitate the hostage and prisoner exchange, a total of 137 trucks had delivered aid in Gaza, according to the UN.

Hamas militants on Saturday released 17 hostages, including 13 Israelis, from captivity in the Gaza Strip while Israel freed 39 Palestinian prisoners.

The late-night exchange was held up for several hours after Hamas accused Israel of violating the agreement.

The delay underscored the fragility of the ceasefire, which has halted a war that has shaken Israel, caused widespread destruction across the Gaza Strip and threatened to unleash wider fighting across the region.

'We welcome the release of more hostages today and renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,' the OCHA said.

'And we hope the release of more Palestinian detainees brings relief to their families and loved ones.'

The ceasefire, brokered by Qatar and the United States, is the first extended break in fighting since the war began on October 7. Overall, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners. All are women and minors.

Israel has said the truce can be extended by an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed, but has vowed to quickly resume its offensive and complete its goals of returning all hostages and destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.

Thousands of people gathered in central Tel Aviv on Saturday in solidarity with the hostages and their families.

Exchanges continued into early Sunday, local time, with Hamas expected to free a total of 50 hostages during the four-day truce in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, under an agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.