Israel resumes air strikes as Hamas rejects Gaza truce
- 10 years ago
It took only six hours for the proposed Gaza ceasefire to collapse.
Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday six hours after agreeing to the Egyptian-proposed truce – because Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza were continuing.
Palestinian officials say nearly 200 people in the territory, mostly civilians, have been killed in eight days of fighting.
But despite the devastation, Hamas rejected the ceasefire. Sami Abou Zahri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told euronews that the Islamist group’s broader demands must be met first.
“Netanyahu’s ceasefire declaration has no meaning,” he said of the Israeli premier. “Because if Hamas is fighting today, it is not to obtain a ceasefire but to free the Palestinian people from Israeli oppression. Officially, Israel has killed 200 Palestinians but the figure is doubtless much bigger than that.”
Among its demands, Hamas is seeking a deal that will ease border restrictions imposed by both Egypt and Israel.
“We, the inhabitants of Gaza, are dying on a daily basis, slowly, morning and night, and it is unfair,” said one man in Gaza City.
“We don’t love war but we have rights that we are trying to defend. We want a truce which will put an end to the blockade – a truce that will obtain justice for us and lift the black fog that we live in,” another man added.
This should be a special time. But the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Gaza has been marked by death, bloodshed and destruction.
For its people, grief is mixed with anger – with no end to this conflict in sight.
Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday six hours after agreeing to the Egyptian-proposed truce – because Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza were continuing.
Palestinian officials say nearly 200 people in the territory, mostly civilians, have been killed in eight days of fighting.
But despite the devastation, Hamas rejected the ceasefire. Sami Abou Zahri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told euronews that the Islamist group’s broader demands must be met first.
“Netanyahu’s ceasefire declaration has no meaning,” he said of the Israeli premier. “Because if Hamas is fighting today, it is not to obtain a ceasefire but to free the Palestinian people from Israeli oppression. Officially, Israel has killed 200 Palestinians but the figure is doubtless much bigger than that.”
Among its demands, Hamas is seeking a deal that will ease border restrictions imposed by both Egypt and Israel.
“We, the inhabitants of Gaza, are dying on a daily basis, slowly, morning and night, and it is unfair,” said one man in Gaza City.
“We don’t love war but we have rights that we are trying to defend. We want a truce which will put an end to the blockade – a truce that will obtain justice for us and lift the black fog that we live in,” another man added.
This should be a special time. But the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Gaza has been marked by death, bloodshed and destruction.
For its people, grief is mixed with anger – with no end to this conflict in sight.