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Thousands of people poured into the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territory to take to the streets to celebrate the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian armed groups.
Ceasefire, that is welcome internationally, Egypt led the besieged enclave for 11 days in the early hours of Friday and the continuous bombardment of thousands of rockets by Hamas into Israel by Hamas, the group that governs the Group.
A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday night that the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendations of the Egyptian initiative for unconditional … approval of a ceasefire.”
Palestinian Islamic groups Hamas and Jihad confirmed the ceasefire in a statement saying it would enter into force at 2:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. Thursday).
The Israeli bombing of Gaza killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, and led to widespread destruction in the already impoverished territory. On the Israeli side, 12 people, including two children, were killed.
Here are the latest updates:
The U.S. Secretary of State will visit the region “soon.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi saying he planned to visit the region “soon,” according to the Israeli foreign minister.
“I was pleased to take his decision and told him that we would welcome him and that I hope to continue discussions to move forward on strategic issues in the region to maintain Israel’s security and regional stability,” Ashkenazi added on Twitter.
@SecBlinken he informed me that he intended to visit the region soon.
I gladly took his decision and told him that we would welcome him and that I hoped to continue discussing the strategic issues in the regions in order to maintain Israel’s security and regional stability.– Gabi Ashkenazi – Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) May 21, 2021
The beginning of a ceasefire like the “first day of Eid”
Al Jazeera’s Youmna al-Sayed, reported from Gaza City, said Palestinians began celebrating as soon as the ceasefire took effect.
“God is great,” he said. “And for them today, they believe that Eid al-Fitr is the first day of the religious festival since the attack began before the last day of Ramadan and they did not manage to celebrate Eid.”
Al-Sayed was in the middle of the rubble of the bombed-out house, saying the displaced families had returned from schools run by the United Nations “because of the very poor humanitarian situation they had there.”
“There was no water, no electricity and they went there without taking anything with them,” he said. “But these people in these situations are compounded by the crisis of very high poverty and unemployment rates on the Gaza Strip, as well as cuts in reconstruction materials that allow them to join the list. They have no alternative but to wait for funding to build their homes.”
Israel and Hamas must rely on a ceasefire agreement: EU commissions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the ceasefire agreement and called on both sides to build on it.
“I urge both sides to consolidate this and stabilize the situation in the long run. Only a political solution will bring lasting peace and security to all, ”tweeted Von der Leyen.
I welcome the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas at 02:00 this morning.
I urge both sides to strengthen and stabilize the situation in the long run.
Only a political solution will bring lasting peace and security to all.
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 21, 2021
China will provide humanitarian aid for the recovery of Gaza
China will send aid to help treat the wounded and find new accommodation for those left homeless as a result of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, state media reported, citing Tian Lin, a spokesman for China’s International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).
Israel’s skepticism in the face of government claims pushed Hamas back
There is skepticism about Israel’s bombing of Gaza and the ceasefire, even as the country’s defense minister said the attacks had repelled Hamas, according to Harry Fawcett of Al Jazeera in West Jerusalem.
“There’s a lot of concern and doubt about who this has caused – more destruction and more deaths,” Fawcett said, noting that “there’s a sense of what has been said before.”
Hamas keeps “hand on” after ceasefire: Official
A Hamas official told Reuters news agency that Israel must end the violations in occupied East Jerusalem and address the damage caused by the Gaza bombing after the ceasefire, warning that the group is still “hands on.”
“It is true that the battle is over today, but Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our hands are turned and that the capabilities of this resistance will continue to grow,” said Ezzat El-Reshiq, a member of Hamas’s political board.
El-Reshiq said the movement’s demands include protecting the Al-Aqsa mosque complex and ending several Palestinian homelessness in East Jerusalem, which he said is a “red line.”
What comes after the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle is not like what happened before, because the Palestinian people sided with the resistance and know that resistance will liberate their land and protect their holy sites, ”El-Reshiq said.
Rebuilding the “tremendous challenge” to Gaza after the ceasefire
Some people in Gaza who were taking refuge in school buildings after damaging houses in Israeli raids began returning as soon as the ceasefire began, according to Al Jazeera’s Youmna al-Sayed, which is being denounced from Gaza.
But he said many residents had their houses completely destroyed and the work of rebuilding the city would be a “tremendous challenge” as a result of the closure of border crossings made up of crucial construction materials, fuel and other necessities in Gaza.
“We are rebuilding the territory that was suffering from a severe economic situation, high unemployment and the onset of the coronavirus,” he said.
Celebrating the Gaza ceasefire after 11 days of bombing
More photos are coming out about Palestinians celebrating Friday’s ceasefire.
People take to the streets of Gaza City to celebrate the ceasefire that went into effect on Friday morning [Mohammed Abed/AFP]For all developments from May 20, click here.
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