Palestine Aug. 23-29: Ceasefire Ends War
HAVANA TIMES — This week an open-ended Egyptian mediated ceasefire ended the 50 days long Israeli war on Gaza. Regardless, at least 22 people were killed in Gaza this week. And in the West Bank Israeli soldiers killed one child.
Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, www.imemc.org, for August 23rd to the 29th, 2014.
The Nonviolence Report
Let’s begin our weekly report as usual with the nonviolent activities organized in the West Bank. Three civilians, including a journalist, were injured this week when Israeli soldiers attacked the anti-wall protests using rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas.
On Friday protests were organized in the villages of al Nabi Saleh, Bil’in, Nil’in, central West Bank and Al Ma’ssara village in southern west Bank.
At the villages of Bil’in and Ni’lin, residents and their international and Israeli supporters, managed to reach the wall. Soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at protesters.
Two villagers and a journalist were injured by Israeli troops attack on the weekly protest at the village of Bil’in. Many more at both Bil’in and Ni’lin were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
In the nearby village of al Nabi Saleh, Israeli soldiers attacked the villagers and their supporters before leaving the village. Soldiers used tear gas against protesters. Later troops invaded the village and fired tear gas into residents’ homes. Many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation.
Meanwhile Israeli troops attacked the villagers of al Ma’ssara and their supporters at village entrance then forced them back using rifle butts and batons.
The Political Report
After 51 days of fighting, Palestinians and Israelis reach a cease-fire agreement with some of the Palestinian demands met,
An indefinite cease-fire went into effect this week between Israel and Palestinians ending 51 days of war against the Gaza Strip which claimed the lives of 2145 Palestinians and 64 Israeli soldiers and 6 civilians in addition to over 10,000 wounded Palestinians, the vast majority of which were civilians. The war has also damaged over 10,000 Palestinian homes and forced over 250,000 Palestinians to be internally displaced.
The Egyptian brokered deal calls for a cessation of attacks as well as the easing of restrictions on Gaza’s border crossings and fishing zones. Israeli and Palestinian delegates will hold further indirect talks in a month in Cairo on more contentious issues, such as the construction of a seaport and airport in Gaza and the release of prisoners. The Gaza Strip has been under blockade since June 2006.
As soon as the news about the cease-fire came out, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, especially in the Gaza Strip took to the streets celebrating the end of the war.
Moussa Abu Marzouk, an exiled leader of Hamas, wrote, “The negotiations [have ended] with an agreement which embodies the resistance of our people and a victory for the resistance.”
Since the start of the talks, Israel has strongly demanded Hamas and the resistance groups to give up their weapons, a demand that was rejected by all the armed resistance groups as well as the entire Palestinian political groups in the West Bank.
According to the cease-fire agreement, Israel will not attack Palestinian fishermen within 6 knotted miles and will gradually expand this to twelve knotted miles. The buffer zone, that Israel created three kilometres along the eastern Gaza borders will gradually decline to zero, in the meantime, the border crossing points with Israel will be frequently open to allow the entrance and exit of goods to and from the Gaza Strip. With specific note to the Rafah crossing, Egyptian and Palestinian officials are to soon discuss necessary moves for opening the crossing permanently.
In addition, there will be an ease on the flow of cash to the Gaza Strip which will allow the payment of the state employees in the coastal region.
On the other hand at least half of the Israeli Political-Security cabinet oppose the cease-fire mainly because it does not include the disarmament of the Palestinian resistance fighters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, the operation they called “protective Edge” has achieved most of its goals, and that Hamas did not win any of its demands.
The future is still unclear for the Gaza Strip, despite of the cease-fire and the promises to rebuild the destroyed buildings and infrastructure, however, what will repair the destroyed psychology of the Gaza Children and what future is awaiting them, a question that is never answered.
The West Bank and Gaza Report
This week Israeli attacks targeting Gaza left at least 22 Palestinians killed. In the meantime, in the West Bank one child was killed another injured due to Israeli troops gunfire.
On Tuesday night of this week, an open-ended ceasefire was announced between Israel and the Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza ending 50 days of Israeli attacks on the coastal enclave.
Palestinian medical sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that ten Palestinians, including two children, have been killed, and dozens injured, by Israeli missiles and shells in different parts of the Gaza Strip, before the truce came into effect.
The sources said the two brothers, were killed after the army fired a missile at the family car, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, minutes before the month-long ceasefire came into effect.
Moreover at least 12 Palestinian civilians were killed on Monday. According to local sources among those killed on Monday was Abedallah Mortagha, a Palestinian journalist.
Mortagha was killed when Israeli tanks bombarded a residential area in Al Shojayia neighborhood in Gaza City on Monday morning. 10 more civilians were injured in the attack.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health issued a report this week stating that Israeli missiles and shells, fired against the Palestinian population of Gaza since July 8, led to the death of 2145 Palestinians, including 578 children. According to the report around 11100, including 3374 children, have been injured.
Elsewhere, a Palestinian child died, Monday, of a serious injury suffered after the army opened fire at Palestinians near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, last Friday.
Hassan ‘Ashour, age 15, was shot by several rounds of live ammunition in the chest and liver, and was later declared clinically dead until he passed away on Monday morning. Local sources said that the child was wounded during clashes which took place at the Beit Forik Israeli military roadblock, east Nablus, after the soldiers assaulted several Palestinians.
Later on Monday evening, a Palestinian teenager was shot and injured by Israeli settlers’ gunfire at the village of Beit Umer, near the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
According to witness, settlers attacked local youth near the settlement of Karmi Nsour, illegal built on lands taken from local farmers. Doctors said that the boy, 16 years of age was moved to Hebron hospital for treatment after he was hit in his right hand and abdomen. His injures were described as moderate.
Conclusion
And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine. This was the Weekly report for August 23rd to the 29th 2014 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at www.imemc.org. This week’s report has been brought to you by Samer Jaber, and Ghassan Bannoura.
Although Hamas under pressure from Egypt and the citizenry of Gaza has ceased firing rockets at Israel, they have not abandoned their call for the elimination of the State of Israel.