Remnants of a PIJ outpost in Gaza
Photo: Reuters
Gazans breathe sigh of relief at ceasefire, fearing repeat of 2014
Mortified of repeat of Operation Protective Edge four years ago, Palestinians in the strip satisfied with calm, as 2014's events 'still seared in everyone's consciousness'; Gazan journalist: improving humanitarian conditions will lead to Hamas's downfall.
A palpable sigh of relief could be heard among Gaza's citizenry Wednesday morning, after Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad officially announced understandings were reached with Israel to instate a ceasefire.
M., a resident of the strip, told Ynet that the people of Gaza were "pleased" with the conclusion of the current round of hostilities. A "tense calm" permeated the region, M. added, but residents nevertheless assumed the fighting had come to an end.
Gazans were relieved at a ceasefire being attained, a resident of the strip said (Photo: Reuters)
"People don't want new escalation or warring with Israel," M. said, explaining that the discourse in the strip Tuesday centered around one thing only. "Everyone was worried yesterday, wondering whether a new war will break out and why Israel declared there were no agreements last night."
The Gazan then explained the main fear felt by his neighbors—that a repeat of the summer of 2014 and Operation Protective Edge was in store. "The average Gazan doesn't want a repeat of 2014's war," he explained. "The events of that summer are still seared in the consciousness of everyone in the strip."
Remnants of a PIJ outpost in Gaza (Photo: Reuters)
Even if fighting in the latest round subsided, M. said the strip's problems remained unsolved.
"The main issue in Gaza is that everyone is doing whatever they want. Islamic Jihad is growing militarily on its own, Hamas is growing on its own, as are the other factions. There's a feeling among residents there isn't any single entity running things, which is what bothers people the most," M. divulged.
The supposed grassroots protest near the fence, M. clarified, has long since lost steam and the Gazan public's support, contrary to what Hamas has been trying to broadcast to the world.
"Why aren't people swarming to protest near the fence en masse? Because they don't want to die. I don't want to die, and who for? Hamas? The only reason Hamas is able to bring people to the border is because it pays them a stipend for it," he accused.
Smoke billowing from an IDF strike in the strip (Photo: AFP)
M. also criticized the Palestinian leadership—both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. "Hamas is not part of the solution to the Gaza issue, but part of the problem," he admitted. "That's why all international projects in the strip are engineered to be created by the international organizations themselves, to leave them outside the authority of either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority."
Sami Obeid, a Gaza journalist, said during a special Ynet newscast that the solution to the Gaza issue was, in fact, in the hands of Israel's government, at least as it pertained to the isolated enclave's economic future.
"Want to weaken Hamas? Give Gazans a life," Obeid advised. "Want Hamas to be strong and stay in power? Starve the people."
"The Israeli government does not want an airport in Gaza," he accused.
IDF footage of the strikes it carried out in Gaza overnight
The Gaza newsman said that improving humanitarian conditions in the strip will invariably end up leading to Hamas falling out of power. "If elections were held tomorrow, Hamas would have gotten nothing from its citizens. Not even ten percent," Obeid claimed, before also laying blame at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's feet.
"He's not paying 70,000 government officials. They haven't received a paycheck in 18 months," he said dejectedly.
