Quiet time is running out in Yemen as the UN-sponsored truce is about to expire. The four-month respite from the war began April 2. Aug. 2 is the deadline. Renewed strife or another cease-fire extension will follow. It is a tense moment for millions of people nationwide.

The catastrophic war began in 2015, and the first truce was declared in April this year, thanks to the United Nations and US diplomatic efforts. The cease-fire has provided massive relief to millions of citizens, but grief will strike them all should diplomacy fail to bring a new truce extension.

While the parties to the conflict have not confessed any battle fatigue, the grassroots have been fed up with war and crises. The collective dream of citizens now is a permanent halt of combat. Laila Saleh, a 32-year-old school teacher in Sanaa, cannot hide her worry about the return of the destructive armed confrontations and the failure of the cease-fire extension.

She told Al-Monitor, “The truce expiry — without renewal — literally means rising violence, deepening hunger and agony. I pray the cease-fire will be extended again and again.” Over the last four months, Saleh and millions of people in Yemen felt the tangible outcomes of fighting cessation. Losing this relief will throw the population into great suffering.