[News] Palestinians bury their dead as ceasefire takes effect in Gaza Strip

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/names-palestinians-killed-israels-latest-gaza-bombardment 
<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/ceasefire-takes-effect-gaza-strip-after-dozens-palestinians-killed> 



  Palestinians bury their dead as ceasefire takes effect in Gaza Strip

By Moatasim Dalloul in Gaza City - November 13, 2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tense calm descended on Gaza early on Thursday as a ceasefire with 
Israel came into effect after two days of escalating violence which has 
left at least 34 Palestinians dead.

The ceasefire, which entered into force at 5.30am (0330 GMT), came after 
the death toll from Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 34 
after Palestinian officials said eight members of the same family had 
been killed.

Israel unleashed an air campaign on Gaza after it assassinated senior 
Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Atta and his wife on Tuesday morning.

Musab al-Breem, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad, told Middle East Eye that 
his movement had set conditions on accepting the ceasefire, which was 
mediated by Egypt and the UN, and that Israel had agreed on the conditions.

Breem said: “The occupation surrendered to the conditions of the 
resistance.”

Khader Habib, a senior leader in the group told MEE that the deal had 
been brokered by Egypt and the United Nations and that Israel had agreed 
to immediately halt its attacks on Gaza, including air strikes and 
targeted killings, and cease to use live ammunition against protesters 
in the Palestinian enclave.

“The Palestinian resistance achieved a great victory as it had a pledge 
from Israel to stop its air strikes, assassinations and using live 
ammunition against Gaza protesters," Habib said. “The Palestinian 
resistance caused much harm to the Israeli occupation. Israel had a 
lesson that targeting Palestinian leaders will have destructive 
consequences.

<https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/names-palestinians-killed-israels-latest-gaza-bombardment>

The names of Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza

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“The ceasefire was brokered by Egypt and the UN. They are the parties 
who are entitled to deal with any Israeli violations.”

In return, Islamic Jihad had agreed to stop firing rockets into Israel.


      Funerals prepared

The ceasefire, which entered into force at 5.30am (0330 GMT), came after 
the death toll from Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 34 
since Tuesday after Palestinian officials said eight members of the same 
family had been killed.

Statistics for the casualties issued by the Gaza Ministry of Health 
showed that the total number of dead included eight children and three 
women. The Ministry of Education confirmed the deaths of at least six 
elementary and high school students.

The wounded numbered 111, including 46 children and 20 women, the 
ministry said.

On the ground, there was a tense calm prevailing across the Gaza Strip, 
with the sound of Israeli military drones still buzzing overhead.

As the ceasefire takes effect, people opened their shops, streets were 
full of cars and everyday life began to return to normal.

Schools and all other government institutions remained closed as they 
were directed to do so on Wednesday evening when the Israeli bombardment 
of Gaza was underway.

The scene was different in hospitals across the Gaza Strip, where 
relatives of those killed during the two-day Israeli onslaught were 
preparing them for burials.

Tens of relatives of those wounded in the strikes were also standing in 
queues at the doors of hospital rooms waiting to visit them.


      'He had never been involved in any resistance action'

Said Abu Karam, from al-Toffah neighbourhood in northern Gaza City, had 
just returned home after visiting his brother-in-law at al-Shifa 
Hospital, the largest one in Gaza, where most of the most critical cases 
were being treated.

“He was wounded in an Israeli air strike targeted at a deserted house in 
the neighbourhood,” Abu Karam said of his brother-in-law.

<https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-will-gaza-respond-killing-senior-islamic-jihad-leader>

How will Gaza respond to Israel's assassination of Islamic Jihad leaders?

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“He was about 50 metres from the house, but some shrapnel hit his thigh 
and caused a deep injury,” Abu Karam said, adding that he was now in a 
stable condition.

The situation was different for Abdallah Ayyad, who lost three relatives 
in an Israeli air strike near their house in al-Zaytoun neighbourhood, 
southeast of Gaza City.

“My cousin Raafat was a farmer and he had never been involved in any 
resistance action,” Ayyad said.

“My other relatives were young and their only fault was that they lived 
in a house located in an agricultural area,” he said. “They were playing 
together near their home.”

During previous escalations and offensives, Israel has dealt with anyone 
moving in agricultural and wide empty areas as targets, because some 
Palestinian groups have launched rockets from such places.


      Eight members of same family killed

The Gaza-based Ministry of Health said on Thursday morning that eight 
Palestinians from the same family had been killed by an Israeli air strike.

Witnesses said the house of the al-Sawarka family, located east of the 
city of Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, had been hit at 
about 1.15am.

Six bodies from the family were removed from under the rubble during the 
night and two were evacuated after the sunrise.

According to the ministry of health, the dead were Rasmi al-Sawarka, 45, 
Mariam al-Sawarka, 45, Yusra al-Sawarka, 43, Waseem al-Sawarka, 13, 
Mohannad al-Sawarka, 12, and Muaz al-Sawarka, seven.

The ministry said that the two other family members who were evacuated 
after the sunrise were children, identifying them as Salim and Firas. It 
has not yet provided their ages.


      'The Middle East does not need more wars'

Israel unleashed an air campaign on Gaza after it assassinated senior 
Islamic Jihad commander Bahaa Abu al-Atta and his wife on Tuesday morning.

The armed group retaliated by launching salvos of rockets into Israel 
and pledging to keep up its attacks.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, said 
that the ceasefire was the fruit of joint Egyptian and UN efforts.

“Egypt and the UN worked hard to prevent the most dangerous escalation 
in and around Gaza from leading to war,” he wrote on Twitter.

“The coming hours and days will be critical. ALL must show maximum 
restraint and do their part to prevent bloodshed. The Middle East does 
not need more wars.”

-- 
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