The 2008 ceasefire slowed rocket and mortar attacks to a trickle until November 5, 2008 when the IDF violently invaded and attacked Gaza, killing several members of Hamas.
You can read the details here:
An Unnecessary War
By Jimmy Carter
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Jimmy Carter - An Unnecessary War - washingtonpost.com
Up until the November 5, 2008 IDF attack, Hamas was not blamed for a single rocket or mortar attack and arrested anyone who attempted to violate the ceasefire on their side. I fail to see what more Hamas could have done to keep up their end of the agreement. I'm sure people living near Gaza on the Israeli side noticed the ceasefire.
On the Gaza side of the border, the blockade remained in full force during the entire period of relative calm. I can't find any evidence that Israel ever allowed more than a minimal amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza. I doubt people on the Gaza side of the border noticed a difference in their situation during the ceasefire until Israel's blatant violation on November 5, 2008, which effectively ended the ceasefire.
This web page gives a first hand perspective of the situation by a Quaker who has done humanitarian work in Gaza:
Dr. Fred Bush starts with the Israeli narrative and how only that side was reported in our news. Then he presents the facts as he saw them while in Gaza and as per reports by humanitarian aid groups in Gaza. He draws conclusions based on the facts which completely contradict the Israeli narrative, which is all MSM reports. If you don't believe his statements, he provides references to the reports and you can read them for yourself....
Here are his conclusions:
The Causes of the Catastrophe in Gaza