Ceasefire: Jubilation in Gaza, protests in Israel

The end of the clashes mediated by Egypt. It is the first time a ceasefire has reached after only two days of war. For the young Palestinians this is a "victory over Israel". Demonstrations in southern Israel in Sderot and Nir Am, criticism of loss of prestige for the government and the army. Protests scheduled in Tel Aviv. The warning of the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia to the Gulf countries.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews) - Last night, Egypt managed to mediate a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. It is the first such truce to be reached in the history of Israel after only two days of conflict. Residents in southern Israel were informed by the military authorities that they could leave the shelters now, where they had sought refuge from the rain of rockets from Gaza, which began on 11 November last.

At the end of hostilities a large crowd poured into the streets of Gaza in spontaneous jubilation, with young teenagers loudly celebrating what they call "victory over Israel". Hamas's representative, Ismail Radwan, drawn by the crowd, has improvised a speech extolling the "victory of the Islamic Resistance", the "new parity of forces between the Zionist State and the Resistance", repeating a phrase used by the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: "The enemy is more fragile than a spider's web". Turning to the Gulf countries, Radwan invited them to stop the tendency to normalize relations with Israel. He thanked "Egypt, Qatar, Iran, Syria and the non-Palestinian" Islamic Resistance Forces ".

But the young people of Gaza did not really want to listen, overtaken by enthusiasm, they interrupted him with slogans like "Al Qassam and the people are one fist" and "We'll go and find them in every alley, house after house". The reference is to the failed attempt by the Israeli commando to kidnap Marwan Issa, the number two of Al Qassam, which ignited the two day conflict.

Even in southern Israel there were spontaneous demonstrations, but of protest and discontent, especially in settlements around the Strip. Yesterday evening, young Israelis set fire to tires and threw stones at the security forces and blocked the streets in Sderot and Nir Am, expressing their dissatisfaction with the ceasefire. The angry protesters gathered to block the streets of Tel Aviv in protest today. The young people protest against the loss of prestige of the Israeli army that "once made all Arabs tremble with fear". One of them, interviewed by an Israeli journalist, said that "with this cease fire we are shooting ourselves in the foot".

Zionist Union leader, Avi Gabbay, told the Jerusalem Post that "the protesting southern residents are right" because "The government continues to abandon them".

Israeli society is in shock, used in the past to be protected by an unassailable and untouchable army. This time about 480 missiles with far farther reach have rained down from Gaza compared to 2014. For the first time a new missile launched by the Strip reached the coastal city of Ashkelon, which is 13 km north of Gaza and only 50 km south of Tel Aviv. Ironically: in the building struck in Ashkelon by the missile, the only death was of a 48-year-old Palestinian, originally from Hebron.

The new fears of the Israelis, unaccustomed to living under the bombs, are pushing the government for action. The controversy is growing in the press and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at the center of criticism. In addition, with the Internet era the censorship imposed on the press by the Israeli military is no longer enough to conceal the true magnitude of the losses incurred during conflicts.

Instead, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia, Msgr. Atallah Hanna had words for Qatar, who in these days had donated 15 million dollars to Gaza, asking for "calm" in exchange and the end of the "March of the Great Return" protests every Friday. The bishop said that the Arab Gulf countries are deluded if they think that the resistance will sell off its just cause in exchange for a fistful of dollars. (PB)

• Israel
• Palestine
• Gaza
• Army
• Clashes
• Jews
• Muslims
• Intifada
• Violence
• Fundamentalism