Jerusalem – After more than a week of fighting, Israel and the Palestinian rebel group Hamas have Agree To Ceasefire. Hundreds of people have been killed, the majority of them Palestinians. The cease-fire brings an end to the imminent bloodshed, but it is expected to widen the gap between the two sides even further.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a crippling aerial bombardment of Gaza for 11 days, as the Palestinian jihadist group Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel, highlighting how unlikely a longer-term peace deal has become.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children. According to the IDF and Israel’s emergency services, Palestinian militant fire from Gaza has killed at least 12 people in Israel, including two teenagers.
According to CNN, the cease-fire, which was brokered by Egypt, will begin at 2 a.m. local time on Friday.
“This evening, the Security Cabinet met. And unanimously accepted the recommendation of all security elements — the Chief of Staff, the head of the Shin Bet, the head of the Mossad, and the head of the National Security Council — to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual unconditional ceasefire that will begin at a later time “read the statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Following the declaration, celebrations of the cease-fire could be seen in Gaza and Tel Aviv. A CNN correspondent saw cars honking with the streets in celebration in the early hours of Friday morning, as a voice broadcast from a nearby mosque thanked God.
The news elicited a range of reactions in Tel Aviv, from relief to cynicism.
“I believe the truce is beneficial for humanitarian purposes since it allows people on both sides to rest a little. I am pessimistic, however, that it will be held for a long time “Tzvika Gift, 22, told Reuters that she is 22 years old.
“Israel hasn’t accomplished much, in my opinion. I say, there are no… no future deals, none. But I suppose it’s nice to take a break now and then.”The War Lasted Eleven Days
The announcement of the truce was accompanied by a barrage of parting shots; only minutes after the ceasefire was declared and before it officially began, sirens warning of rocket attacks echoed once more in Israeli towns and villages near Gaza.
In the meantime, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched a crippling aerial assault on Gaza, destroying Hamas’ extensive tunnel network and other facilities. According to UNICEF, 72,000 Gazans have been displaced.
If insurgent groups in Gaza are found to be breaking their side of the bargain, Israel’s military will be ordered to re-launch its operation against them, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
The ceasefire comes after a flurry of diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement. Over the past few days, US President Joe Biden and his administration have stepped up their messaging on Israel, including in Biden’s fourth phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
The US President credited his administration’s “quiet and persistent diplomacy,” as well as Egypt’s actions, in reaching the resolution, in hastily orchestrated remarks from the White House delivered one hour before the cease-fire was to take effect.
Biden did not become more combative with Netanyahu until recently when he told him bluntly that the abuse had to end. But he did so in secret, only speaking about the case in public after the 11-day ordeal.
The truce between Israel and Hamas was also welcomed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who also said that more needs to be achieved. Guterres told reporters that he wants Israel and the Palestinians to resume talks, and he called for a large-scale humanitarian relief delivery to Gaza residents.
“I want to emphasize that, in addition to restoring order, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have a duty to begin a meaningful dialogue to resolve the conflict’s root causes. Gaza is an important part of the future Palestinian state, and every effort should be made to achieve genuine national unity and end the division “he said
In an impassioned speech in New York, the Secretary-General had earlier called for an urgent truce. According to a transcript of his remarks, “If there is a hell on Earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today.”
After weeks of unrest in Jerusalem, where a coalition of Palestinian families threatened expulsion from their homes in East Jerusalem in favor of Jewish nationalists, hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated.
Furthermore, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a string of disruptive events occurred, including the closure of a common gathering spot in the Old City and the entry of Israeli police officers into the Al Aqsa mosque on several occasions. Normal clashes took place in and around the mosque compound, with police using stun bombs and rubber-coated bullets as Palestinians threw stones.
