Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Palestinians See Victory in Gaza Truce as Israel Warns Hamas
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
May 21, 2021

Share

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians rallied by the thousands Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as a costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas. Israel vowed to respond with a “new level of force” to further hostilities.

The 11-day war left more than 250 dead — the vast majority Palestinians — and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But the rocket barrages that brought life to a standstill in much of Israel were seen by many Palestinians as a bold response to perceived Israeli abuses in Jerusalem, the emotional heart of the conflict.

Netanyahu Warns Against Further Attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned against further attacks, saying, “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong.” He vowed to respond with “a new level of force” against aggression anywhere in Israel.

The Israeli leader, who is facing criticism from his hawkish base for ending the offensive prematurely, said Israel had done “daring and new things, and this without being dragged into unnecessary adventures.” He added that Israeli forces had caused “maximum damage to Hamas with a minimum of casualties in Israel.”

He said Israeli strikes killed more than 200 militants, including 25 senior commanders, and hit more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) of militant tunnels. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad militant group have only acknowledged 20 fighters killed.

The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 243 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. Twelve people were killed in Israel, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl.

Clashes and Protests Continue Amid Cease-Fire Celebrations

The truce faced an early test when clashes broke out between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police following Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem sacred to Jews and Muslims. Clashes there earlier this month were one of the main triggers for the war.

It was unclear what sparked Friday’s violence. Police fired stun grenades and tear gas, and Palestinians hurled rocks after hundreds took part in a celebratory demonstration in which they waved Palestinian and Hamas flags and cheered the militant group. Israeli police said they arrested 16 people.

Protesters also clashed with Israeli troops in parts of the occupied West Bank, which has seen violent demonstrations in recent days linked to Jerusalem and Gaza.

Thousands took to the streets of Gaza as the cease-fire took hold at 2 a.m. Young men waved Palestinian and Hamas flags, passed out sweets, honked horns and set off fireworks. Celebrations also broke out overnight in east Jerusalem and across the occupied West Bank. Israel captured all three territories in the 1967 war and the Palestinians want them for their future state.

Residents Deal with the Aftermath of the War’s Destruction

An open-air market in Gaza City that was closed throughout the war reopened, and shoppers stocked up on fresh tomatoes, cabbage and watermelons. Workers in orange traffic vests swept up rubble from surrounding roads.

“Life will return, because this is not the first war, and it will not be the last war,” said shop owner Ashraf Abu Mohammad. “The heart is in pain, there have been disasters, families wiped from the civil registry, and this saddens us. But this is our fate in this land, to remain patient.”

There was little to celebrate in the hard-hit northern town of Beit Hanoun. Residents, many of whom had lost loved ones, surveyed wrecked homes.

“We see such huge destruction here, it’s the first time in history we’ve seen this,” said Azhar Nsair. “The cease-fire is for people who didn’t suffer, who didn’t lose their loved ones, whose homes were not bombed.”

Rescue workers were still recovering bodies from areas that had been too dangerous to enter. Five were collected Friday in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, including that of a 3-year-old, the Red Crescent emergency service said.

The War Ends Inconclusively

Like the three previous wars, the latest round of fighting ended inconclusively. Israel claimed it inflicted heavy damage on Hamas but once again was unable to halt the rockets.

Hamas also claimed victory but faces the daunting challenge of rebuilding in a territory already suffering from high unemployment and a coronavirus outbreak, and from years of blockade by Egypt and Israel.

The fighting began May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at Al-Aqsa. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound, and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions.

Competing claims to Jerusalem, one of the most volatile issues in the decades-old conflict, have repeatedly triggered bouts of violence.

The cease-fire was brokered by neighboring Egypt after the U.S. pressed Israel to wind down the offensive. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit the region “to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build better futures for Israelis and Palestinians.” the State Department said.

Hamas and other militant groups fired over 4,000 rockets at Israeli cities. Dozens landed as far north as the bustling commercial capital of Tel Aviv.

Israel, meanwhile, carried out hundreds of airstrikes. A senior Israeli army official said Israel hit 1,600 “military targets” during the 11-day conflict.

Netanyahu Faces Criticism

The United States, Israel’s closest and most important ally, initially backed what it said was Israel’s right to self-defense against indiscriminate rocket fire. But as fighting dragged on and deaths mounted, the Americans increasingly pressured Israel to stop the offensive.

President Joe Biden welcomed the cease-fire. He said the U.S. was committed to helping Israel replenish its supply of interceptor missiles and to working with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority — not Hamas — to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Netanyahu faced heavy criticism from members of his hawkish, nationalist base. Gideon Saar, a former ally who leads a small party opposed to the prime minister, called the cease-fire “embarrassing.” Itamar Ben Gvir, head of the far-right Jewish Power party, tweeted that the cease-fire was “a grave surrender to terrorism and the dictates of Hamas.”

In a potentially damaging development for the Israeli leader, the Palestinian militants claimed Netanyahu had agreed to halt further Israeli actions at the Al Aqsa Mosque and to call off the planned evictions of Palestinians in the nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. An Egyptian official said only that tensions in Jerusalem “will be addressed.”

Some 58,000 Palestinians sought shelter in crowded U.N. schools amid a coronavirus outbreak. Thousands returned to their homes as the truce took hold.

Gaza’s Already Decrepit Infrastructure Further Destroyed

The fighting dealt another blow to Gaza’s already decrepit infrastructure. The small coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas seized power from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, confining his authority to parts of the West Bank.

The World Health Organization says 30 health facilities in Gaza were damaged, with one clinic destroyed and another with significant damage. An airstrike damaged the only facility in Gaza processing coronavirus tests, forcing a halt to testing in the territory.

Fabrizio Carboni, regional director for the Near and Middle East at the International Committee of the Red Cross, estimated there were “several hundred” pieces of unexploded ordnance strewn in Gaza, adding that medical supplies were a pressing need.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

DON'T MISS

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

DON'T MISS

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

DON'T MISS

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

DON'T MISS

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

DON'T MISS

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

DON'T MISS

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

DON'T MISS

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

DON'T MISS

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

DON'T MISS

Trump to Sign Order Doubling Metals Tariffs, White House Says

UP NEXT

Gaza Ministry Says Israel Kills More Than 30 Aid Seekers, Israel Denies

UP NEXT

Nonprofit Ship Sets Sail for Gaza After Drone Attack Setback

UP NEXT

Israel Blocks Ramallah Meeting With Arab Ministers, Israeli Official Says

UP NEXT

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Open Fire a Kilometer Away From Gaza Aid Site, Killing 3, Health Officials Say

UP NEXT

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

UP NEXT

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Loretta Swit, Emmy-winner Who Played Houlihan on Pioneering TV Series ‘M.A.S.H.,’ Has Died at 87

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

4 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

4 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

4 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

4 hours ago

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

5 hours ago

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

5 hours ago

Trump to Sign Order Doubling Metals Tariffs, White House Says

5 hours ago

California Inmate Gets Five Years for Role in Drone Drug Smuggling Scheme

6 hours ago

Millions Invested in Land for Innovation Village. Will It Be a Fresno Game-Changer?

6 hours ago

Trump Threatens California With Fines After Trans Athlete Wins Girls’ State Titles

7 hours ago

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a highly rare move that will strip the ship...

51 minutes ago

51 minutes ago

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

56 minutes ago

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
3 hours ago

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

4 hours ago

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

4 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

4 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

4 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

Elon Musk speaks during a press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured), at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo
5 hours ago

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend