Analysis ofben wedeman, CNN
Updated at 10:36 am EDT, Saturday, May 22, 2021
Life for Gaza residents resumes amid the rubble
02:19 - Those:CNN
world News 16 videos
Life for Gaza residents resumes amid the rubble
02:19
Is running
- Those:CNN
Japan's rural communities are dying. The problem is that your cities do it too
05:58
Is running
- Those:CNN
New analysis suggests Covid-19 link to raccoon dogs at Wuhan market
02:19
Is running
- Those:CNN
See images of French protesters setting Paris on fire
02:18
Is running
- Those:CNN
Chinese study: North Korean missile could reach the US in 33 minutes
03:14
Is running
- Those:CNN
Col pension: New images show that the encounter in the air with the American drone was intentional
02:14
Is running
- Those:CNN
US Releases Video of Russian Fighter Jet Downing a Reaper Drone
01:09
Is running
- Those:CNN
See the drones used by the Russian military in China sold on Alibaba
02:54
Is running
- Those:CNN
Aerial photos show submerged houses after record storm
01:43
Is running
- Those:CNN
Why are Israelis protesting against government pressure to weaken the Supreme Court?
02:18
Is running
- Those:CNN
Why the former Pakistani PM says he is ready to be arrested
02:32
Is running
- Those:CNN
See why US-China tensions are rising over Taiwan
02:32
Is running
- Those:CNN
CNN tracks immigrants entering Canada illegally by road from New York
03:36
Is running
- Those:CNN
The British policeman who confessed to abusing women for decades has been sentenced
04:53
Is running
- Those:CNN
'The impact is huge': Oil spill threatens livelihood of beach community
01:59
Is running
- Those:CNN
gaza city CNN—
He finished it. bombs and rocketsno longer falls; On Friday night, families from Gaza City ventured out to stroll or sit on benches in the main square.
But it's not over yet. Israeli drones are constantly buzzing overhead. And the events of the last 11 days are just beginning to be understood. The raw feelings of fear and terror, of loss and anger will remain.
Israeli airstrikes on Al-Wahdah street brought down three buildings in the middle of the night last Sunday, killing more than 40 people. Five days later, an endless stream of residents walk by and gaze at the mounds of uneven concrete and twisted metal. In one of these mounds lies a bright red teddy bear with its head severed from its body.
Mahmoud Abu Al-Aouf, 67, lives a few blocks away, but one of the buildings was home to members of his extended family, most of whom have since died.
Mark deceased relatives. "My cousin, my sister, her son, her sons, my niece and her sons," she says. Among the dead was Dr. Ayman Abu Al-Aouf, head of internal medicine at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. He ran the hospital's Covid-19 ward.
A stuffed animal found in the ruins of Al-Wahdah Street.
"He just got back from work," recalls Mahmoud. "And then they killed him."
Another family member, Ala Abu Al-Aouf, was in his nearby shop when the Israeli bombs fell.
"I ran outside and saw dust and debris and heard screaming and yelling," he says.
Rescuers eventually pulled the bodies of her two daughters, Shaima, 21, and Ruwan, 19, from the ruins.
Ala, 48, says the Israeli army gave no warning. “Our souls to them [Israelis] are cheaper than a phone call. They could have called and said, 'Get out of the building!' Do you want to go in tunnels? ", she says. "But you have to let us know. We are civilians. We have nothing to do with this."
Palestinians inspect a destroyed building that housed media offices in Gaza City on Friday, May 21. It was hit by an Israeli airstrike earlier in the week.
An Israeli soldier sits on a tank on a platform near the Gaza border on May 21. It was after a ceasefire agreement was announced.
A Palestinian family returns to their home in Gaza City on May 21.
Palestinians in Gaza City celebrate the ceasefire agreement on May 21.
A young man looks out of a bedroom window where an unexploded Israeli missile landed in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Thursday, May 20.
Lia Tal runs for cover with her children and her partner when a siren warns of missiles on May 20 in Ashdod, Israel.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (right) listens as his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi (center) visits a building hit by a rocket in Petah Tikva, Israel.
Israelis take shelter on the steps of their apartment building in Ashdod, Israel, as a siren sounds Wednesday May 19 to warn of missiles coming from the Gaza Strip.
Israelis gather outside the prime minister's office in Jerusalem to demand the release of Israeli soldiers and civilians arrested by Hamas in Gaza on May 19.
Relatives of Palestinian Mahmoud Shtawi, 19, react during his funeral in Gaza City on May 19. He was killed in an Israeli air strike.
A Palestinian clash with Israeli forces at Checkpoint Hawara, south of the West Bank city of Nablus, on Tuesday, May 18.
Firefighters work to put out a fire at a warehouse in Rafah, Gaza, after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike on May 18.
Members of the Israeli security forces patrol the critical Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem during Palestinian protests on May 18.
Explosions are seen over buildings in Gaza City as Israeli forces attack targets early on May 18.
A woman in Ashdod, Israel, takes her dog and runs to a shelter after sirens warned of rockets being fired from Gaza. She was near where a previous missile landed.
Palestinian mourners carry the body of Obaida Jawabreh, who was killed in clashes with Israeli forces during her funeral in the Al-Arrub refugee camp in the West Bank on May 18.
An Israeli artillery unit fires into Gaza on May 18.
Palestinian firefighters extinguished a fire at the Foamco mattress factory on Monday, May 17, following an Israeli airstrike east of Jabalia, Gaza.
A woman reacts in her kitchen on May 17 after a rocket from Gaza hit her building in Ashdod, Israel.
Israeli soldiers take cover near the Gaza border when a siren warns them of incoming rockets on May 17.
Children salvage toys from their home in Gaza City's Al Jawhara Tower, which was badly damaged by Israeli airstrikes.
Palestinian rescuers pull a survivor from the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on Sunday, May 16.
This photo shows the scene of a suspected car accident in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem on May 16. Six were injured; the driver was shot dead.
In the background, Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired at southern Israel by Hamas militants on May 16.
A fireball erupts from the Jala'a Tower, which houses the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and other media bureaus as it is.destroyed by an Israeli airstrikein Gaza City on Saturday, March 15.
Relatives mourn the bodies of the Abu Khatab family, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 15 at the Shifa Hospital morgue in Gaza City.
A nurse holds an injured baby at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on May 15. The baby was carried out alive from a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike that killed 10 members of the child's family.
Members of the Israeli emergency services work at a site in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, after a rocket fired from Gaza struck the area.
A siren sounds as a missile alert as people take refuge in a shelter in Ramat Gan, Israel, on May 15.
Rachel El-Gazar enters her damaged home in Sderot, Israel, after a rocket was fired from Gaza on May 15.
A Palestinian protester throws flares during clashes with Israeli soldiers in Hebron, West Bank, on May 14.
A Palestinian woman reacts May 14 amid damage caused by Israeli airstrikes in Beit Hanoun, Gaza.
Israeli soldiers prepare an artillery unit in Sderot, Israel, near the Gaza border on May 14.
A man in Ashkelon, Israel, sees a damaged car and building hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.
Palestinians take refuge in a UN school in Gaza City on May 13.
Julianna Sror views damage to her home on May 13 after it was hit by a rocket in Petah Tikva, Israel.
A Palestinian walks past a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on May 13.
Israeli soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Gaza on May 13 from their position near the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
Israeli security forces arrested a Palestinian in front of the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 13.
A man checks the damage after a rocket attack in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva on May 13.
Muslims perform the Eid al-Fitr morning prayer, which marks the end ofholy month of fasting ramadan,at the Aqsa-Mosque complex in Jerusalem on May 13.
A passenger carries his luggage at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, Israel, on May 13.Flight cancellations to Israelwith intensifying clashes between the country's army and Palestinian militants.
Mourners surround the body of Lea Yom Tov, an Israeli woman who was killed in a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on May 12 during her funeral in Rishon LeZion, Israel.
Torah scrolls, the Jewish scriptures, were stolen from a synagogue that was torched on May 12 during clashes between protesters and police in Lod, Israel.
An aerial photograph taken on May 12 shows the remains of a Gaza City tower destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.
An Israeli firefighter puts out a burning bus in Holon, Israel, after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on May 11.
A stun grenade fired by Israeli forces explodes as Palestinians take part in a protest against Israel in Hebron, West Bank, on May 11.
A streak of light is seen from Ashkelon, Israel, as Israel's Iron Dome system intercepts rockets fired from Gaza on May 11.
Palestinians inspect the rubble of the Hanadi Tower destroyed after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 11.
A damaged house is seen in a residential area in Ashkelon, Israel, May 11 after rockets were fired from Gaza.
Palestinian children inspect a room damaged after an Israeli airstrike in the al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City on May 11.
Israeli firefighters take cover in Ashkelon as a siren warns of incoming missiles on May 11.
Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed roof after Israeli airstrikes hit a residential building in the Shate refugee camp in Gaza City on May 11.
The mother of 11-year-old Palestinian Hussain Hamad is comforted by mourners during his funeral May 11 in Beit Hanoun, Gaza. The boy died in a fire between Israel and Gaza.
An Israeli soldier checks a damaged apartment building in Ashkelon on May 11.
Flames and smoke billow from buildings in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli airstrikes on May 11.
Israeli rescuers help residents of a neighborhood in Ashkelon on May 11.
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at the Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem, on May 10.
Israelis take part in the annual Jerusalem Day march on May 10, marking the reunification of Jerusalem after Israel captured the eastern part of the city from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Palestinians are seen confronting Israeli police at the Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10.
Israeli police detain a Palestinian during clashes at the Aqsa Mosque on May 10.
A Palestinian flees from tear gas during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10.
In pictures: Israelis and Palestinians face violence for days
Israel says it attacked tunnels in the neighborhood. When one of them collapsed, the surrounding buildings also collapsed. The Israeli army said earlier this week that an investigation into the ammunition used was underway.
A teacher, who declined to be named, hugged her young son Kareem and toured Ala's old home.
His house across the street shook as if an earthquake had struck, he recalls. "I grabbed my kids and held them tight," she says. "I thought that was it. I'm going to die. It seemed that judgment day had come."
One of his students had been killed in the air raid that night.
Members of Hamas's military wing in black combat uniform and balaclavas march along the ruins on Al-Wahdah street.
Despite the death, despite the destruction, Hamas presents the war as a victory.
Gaza residents assess the damage after days of Israeli airstrikes.
People collect materials from a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on May 22.
On the night of May 10, he fired his first burst of rockets into Israel, urging Israeli security forces to evacuate Haram Al-Sharif, the Temple Mount, home to Islam's third-holiest site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. . He called his campaign "The Sword of Jerusalem" and posed as defenders of Jerusalem's holiest Muslim site against Israel, who in turn called his air and artillery campaign "Guardians of the Walls," referring to the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Since the outbreak of the Second Intifada two decades ago, the symbolism of Jerusalem has not been in the spotlight.
This fourth war between the State of Israel and Hamas ended inconclusively. Both sides claim victory. Like they always do. Israel claims to have crippled Hamas's ability to launch rocket attacks.
Hamas claims it closed off much of Israel for 11 days with those rockets. It closed Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport and severed the already fragile communal ties inside Israel between its Jewish and Arab citizens, some of whom identify strongly as Palestinians, sparking a wave of mass protests and clashes in the West. Bank between Palestinians and Israeli security forces.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, 85, looked like a helpless bystander spewing empty rhetoric against Israel while Hamas fired rockets.
The ceasefire in Gaza is just that: a ceasefire. It is not a guarantee of lasting calm or anything remotely resembling peace.
The causes of this centuries-old territorial conflict between the Jordan and the Mediterranean have not disappeared.
For more than a decade, the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, where Palestinian families face eviction, has been a regular hotspot.
In Jerusalem, Palestinian residents, nearly 40% of the population, pay taxes and carry Israeli identity cards, but the vast majority are not Israeli citizens. Among other things, they cannot vote in national elections and receive only a fraction of municipal funds compared to Jewish residents.
The fourth Gaza-Israel conflict is over. The definition of insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Israel and the factions in Gaza have engaged in these deadly skirmishes four times. And with everything else being equal, a fifth round and a sixth and maybe even more cannot be ruled out. In fact, most people in Gaza expect another war. And as in 2014, all sides will almost certainly declare victory. It perfectly fits the definition of insanity.
Related
