the United Nations Security Council calls for “full” respect for the ceasefire

The United Nations (UN) Security Council called on Saturday, May 22, for respect “Complete” of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in its first united declaration since the conflict began on May 10. “The members of the Security Council welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire as of May 21 and recognized the important role played by Egypt” and other countries in the region, adds this document approved by the United States after the withdrawal of a paragraph on condemnation of violence.

Washington had so far rejected three declarations, as well as a French draft resolution demanding “An immediate cessation of hostilities” and calling “The unhindered delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid throughout Gaza”.

Read the report: In Gaza, a strange atmosphere of celebration and mourning

“The Security Council calls for full respect for the ceasefire”, adds this text proposed by China, Norway and Tunisia, which simply notes that the member countries of the Council “Deplore the civilian losses due to the violence”. They “Underlined the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, especially in Gaza, and supported the appeal of the Secretary General [de l’ONU, Antonio Guterres] to the international community to (…) rebuild ” the Palestinian enclave.

They finally pointed out that it is “Urgent to restore calm and reaffirmed the importance of achieving a complete peace based on the conception of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side, at peace with secure and recognized borders”.

Read the editorial of the “World”: Israel-Palestine: changing the paradigm

A victory claimed on both sides

Since the clashes began on May 10, at least 248 Palestinians, including 66 children and Hamas fighters, have died in the Israeli strikes, while 12 people have lost their lives in Israel, including a child, a teenage girl and a soldier, the Palestinian movements of Gaza having fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israeli territory.

Since the entry into force of the ceasefire on Friday, both sides have claimed victory. In Gaza, a parade of Hamas fighters gathered hundreds of participants on Saturday. In the streets of the enclave, large portraits of fighters on which we can read “Falestine Tantaser” (“Victorious Palestine”) have appeared. Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh greeted a “Strategic victory” against Israel and said to have “Dealt a severe and painful blow which will leave deep marks on the entity” to his opponent.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the Israeli offensive against Palestinian territory, where some two million people live, saying: “We have achieved the objectives, it is an exceptional success. “ And to add: “More than 200 terrorists, including 25 officers”, were killed.

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The ceasefire, however, did not set any conditions for stopping the fighting or establish a plan for reconstruction. An Egyptian delegation was received in Ramallah by the President of the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss the follow-up. Another is expected in Israel.

US President Joe Biden has declared his intention to set up financial aid “Major” for “Rebuild Gaza” but without giving Hamas – considered “Terrorist” by the United States – “The opportunity to rebuild your weapon system”. Biden also reiterated support for the two-state solution, the creation of an independent Palestine alongside Israel, calling it “Only answer possible” to conflict. US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken expected in Middle East “In the coming days”.

Emergency aid

Palestinian fishermen mend their nets before setting out to sea in Gaza City's main port on May 22, 2021, after the ban on fishing was lifted following the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian activists in the enclave under Israeli blockade.

In the meantime, Gaza is assessing the damage. About 6,000 residents of the enclave lost their homes in the Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip and more than a thousand buildings were damaged, according to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( OCHA). Dozens of trucks of international aid began pouring in on Friday through the Kerem Shalom crossings, on the border with Israel, and those of Rafah, on the Egyptian border.

On Saturday, local authorities began distributing tents, mattresses and food aid to displaced populations. “Schools can be rebuilt and roads too, the priority is the psycho-social help that the inhabitants of Gaza will need”, says Sarah Muscroft, OCHA’s director for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Infrastructure, already precarious, was also damaged, including power lines, while 800,000 Gazans were left with no “No lasting access to drinking water”, still according to OCHA.

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While rescuers cautiously cleared the rubble on Saturday in search of possible bodies, tens of thousands of people came out to attend funerals in the streets, to take pictures in front of the pulverized buildings, but also to go to the streets. seaside cafes. Fishermen have returned to sea without, however, obtaining the green light from Israel, which has imposed a land blockade but also a maritime blockade on Gaza for nearly fifteen years. Local authorities also announced on Saturday that Gaza officials could resume work on Sunday.

In Israel, after two weeks punctuated by rocket alerts, the streets of Tel Aviv were once again filled with families sitting on terraces and travel restrictions in the south of the country were lifted.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, suspended since 2014, collide on many points, including the status of East Jerusalem and the Israeli colonization of Palestinian territories. Proof that the situation remains volatile, almost daily clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces take place in the West Bank and sometimes in East Jerusalem, a Palestinian sector occupied by Israel.

The World with AFP