21 May Israel and Hamas Agrees to a Ceasefire After 11 Days of Violence
After 11 days of brutal attacks that killed more than 200 people, Israel and Hamas have finally agreed to a ceasefire. This ceasefire agreement was brokered by Egypt and would commence at 2 am on Friday.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, Israel’s bombardment on Gaza killed 232 Palestinians. On the other side, 12 people in Israel were killed by Hamas’s attack. Soon after the announcement of the truce in Gaza, people were seen celebrating on the streets. Prayers from a nearby mosque were also broadcasted.
In Tel Aviv, reporters got a mix of reactions. In a byte given to Reuters, 22-year-old Tzvika Geft said, “I think it’s good. The ceasefire is good for humanitarian reasons to let civilians relax a little bit on both sides. I am skeptical though that it will really be kept for a while.”
Since the start of the clash, Hamas has fired more than 4000 rockets in Israeli territory while Israel carried out bombardment targeting Hamas’ tunnel network.
After signing this agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that Israel will start its campaigns against Hamas again if Gaza failed to keep up with its side of the agreement.
The truce was made after a series of diplomatic attempts were made by the US and Egypt. According to the sources, American President Joe Biden had his fourth telephonic call with Netanyahu on Wednesday.
Reportedly, Biden is crediting his diplomatic approach and Egypt’s presence for this ceasefire. He said, “We’ve held intensive high-level discussions with Egypt to avoid the sort of prolonged conflict we’ve seen in previous years.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also shared his opinion on the ceasefire. He also called for humanitarian aid distribution among the citizens of Gaza.
The clash between Hamas and Israel began during the holy month of Ramadan when Israeli police entered the Al Aqsa mosque and interrupted people’s prayers, which Palestinians saw as proactive interference.
SOURCE- CNN
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