Palestinians and Israelis return to normal life after Gaza truce

Life on both sides of the border in the Gaza Strip began to return to normal on Sunday after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire ended five days of fighting between Israel and Islamic Jihad in which 34 Palestinians and one Israeli killed.

Israel reopened its trade and cargo border crossings, allowing fuel to be supplied to the only power plant in the blockaded coastal enclave. Businesses and government agencies have reopened their doors and people are back on the streets which was abandoned within a few days.

Both sides confirmed a cessation of hostilities but gave different interpretations of the terms, including whether Israel would stop attacks on key Palestinian militants.

The latest fighting, the longest since the 2021 10-Day War, began when Israel launched a series of airstrikes early Tuesday morning, announcing that he was targeting Islamic Jihad commanders who were planning the attacks.

In response, the Iranian-backed group fired more than 1,000 rockets, forcing Israelis to flee to bomb shelters. In the regions southern Israel near Gazaschools were still closed on Sunday, and many of the thousands of residents who were evacuated have still not returned.

“It’s not easy to come back from a situation like this,” Gadi Yarkoni, the mayor of several Israeli cities along the Gaza border, told 103 FM radio station.

Palestinian officials said 33 people, including 18 militantsas well as women and children were killed in Gaza. In Israel, an Israeli woman and a Palestinian worker were killed by rockets from Gaza.

Echoing global concerns about violence in Gaza, Pope Francisco In his Sunday sermon, he expressed the hope that “weapons must be silent, because security and stability will never be achieved with weapons; on the contrary, all hope for peace will be destroyed.”

Islamic jihad he rejects coexistence with Israel and preaches her destruction. Senior ministers of Israel’s religious nationalist government reject any state that the Palestinians aspire to in territories captured by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war.

Interpretation of conditions

Mohammad Al-Hindi, a senior Islamic Jihad official who negotiated ceasefire in Cairo with Egyptian officials, the group said in a statement Sunday that the group was prepared to stop rocket attacks in exchange for Israel agreeing to stop targeting homes, civilians and militant leaders.

“We are committed to a calm agreement as long as the enemy respects it,” he said.

However, Israel denied its commitment to this, stating only that it would not fire until there was a threat.

“I repeated it over and over: whoever attacks us, whoever tries to attack us, whoever tries to attack us in the future, their blood will be lost,” he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Israeli forces “successfully completed a five-day fight against the terrorist group Islamic Jihad,” he said in a televised address, without mentioning a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, did not participate in the fighting and Israeli military they confirmed that their attacks were not directed against their infrastructure or leaders.

It is not yet clear how long the latest ceasefire will last. The last fight took place just a week after the next round night bombingsand even when the truce was concluded, both sides continued their attacks.

“We will continue to do whatever is necessary with one consideration: what serves the interests of security State of IsraelThis was announced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet.

In Gaza, people have faced the aftermath of days of shelling that Israel says targeted Islamic Jihad command centers and other targets. military infrastructurebut also damaged or destroyed dozens of homes.

“This is my room, I had toys to play with and there is nothing left of the books I learned from,” said 12-year-old Ritaj Abu Abeid, standing in her ruined room.

Madda Al-Amoudi, 40, one of about 3,000 Gaza fishermen who were prevented from going to sea, greeted return to normal life.

“We have no alternative but the sea. If there is work at sea, we can earn money and feed our children, and if there is no sea, then there is nothing.”

Reuters

Source: Aristegui Noticias

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