17 aug 2014
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
One would make a little exaggeration by stating that the United States is the most evil empire under the sun today.
Indeed, a fleeting look at America's behavior around the globe would be sufficient to show the extent to which American foreign policy is devoid of any moral conscience.
In the Gaza Strip, the Judeo-Nazi state, aka Israel, has just committed a real holocaust, slaughtering and maiming thousands of innocent Palestinians and utterly destroying civilian neighborhoods, hospitals, college buildings and other public facilities. It is more or less a reenactment of the Dresden holocaust as the site of bombed-out neighborhoods throughout Gaza defies linguistic description.
The US not only failed to prevent the real holocaust. It went a step further by shamelessly condoning and justifying it, without the slightest regard for the huge death and destruction inflicted by the Nazis of our time.
In fact, American officials and politicians, from President Obama to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have effectively blamed Gazan victims for their own death and their fresh Nakba. This is more than a monumental moral failure. It is nothing short of indulgence in moral prostitution.
What else can one say of these utterly unethical reactions to manifestly Nazi acts against a completely helpless, thoroughly tormented and hermetically blockaded people, struggling to survive?
Were America a force of moral conscience in our world, as it constantly claims to be, it would insist that Judeo-Nazi leaders, such as Netanyahu and Yaalon, are shipped like drugged animals to The Hague to stand trial for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Indeed, if the U.S. were to behave in this manner, the Netanyahus, Sharons and Bashar el-Assads of this world would have thought twice before embarking on their heinous crimes against humanity.
To be sure, America's criminal behavior, which is not a new phenomenon by any means, has not been confined to the verbal sphere. Indeed, as Israel was exterminating Gaza civilians from land, air and sea, the Pentagon was sending Israel more "hellfire missiles" to incinerate more and more Palestinian kids.
And as Palestinian babies and their breastfeeding mothers were being mutilated to bits and pieces by Israel's American supplied missiles and bombs, obsequious political prostitutes in Washington were busy issuing all sorts of statements in support of Jewish Nazism.
Americans used to boast about their freedoms and First Amendment liberties. However, America’s ignominious record in enabling and abetting evil around the world is too bleak and too overwhelming to be whitewashed by any rhetoric about virtuous claims, genuine or otherwise.
I know that most Americans are too helpless to exert an influence on, let alone change their government's policies. After all, the American government is thoroughly fettered with Jewish shackles, making it effectively answerable to Jewish Zionist lobbies rather than to the American people.
One American college professor from Texas told me recently this week that the one who calls the shots in Washington was Binyamin Netanyahu, the thuggish Israeli premier, not Barack Obama.
"Obama is only a figurehead…nothing more. The Jews tightly control our government and our congress is Israel's ultimate whore," wrote the professor.
America's treacherous discourse in the Middle East is by no means confined to the Palestinian issue.
This week marks the passage of one year since the pornographic massacre of pro-democracy Egyptian protesters at the Rabaa square, at the hands of the Sissi gang.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report marking the occasion that the Egyptian army and police carried out the gruesome massacre knowingly and deliberately and that the carnage had been carefully planned. The report called the carnage the bleakest day in Egypt's modern history.
Yet, the unethical Obama administration continued to curry favor with the Sissi junta, nearly totally ignoring the hideous mega carnage. Far from holding the Sissi gang responsible for the crime against humanity, the U.S. government sought to find all sorts of excuses to vindicate the Sissi gang.
Again, were the U.S. a moral force, it would have behaved and acted differently.
Then there is the murderous Syrian regime of Bashar el-Assad, which has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of its own people in order to stay a few more years in power. By now; however, it is crystal clear that the slow-motion genocide in Syria is continuing unabated with America's consent if not encouragement.
The huge moral and human failure on the part of the country of the Statue of Liberty is another sorry reminder that it is absolutely futile to count on America for expediting the forces of good and defeating the forces of evil in this world.
But this predicament should also give us the hope that America will eventually meet the same fate of Nazi Germany, and the former Soviet Union.
One would make a little exaggeration by stating that the United States is the most evil empire under the sun today.
Indeed, a fleeting look at America's behavior around the globe would be sufficient to show the extent to which American foreign policy is devoid of any moral conscience.
In the Gaza Strip, the Judeo-Nazi state, aka Israel, has just committed a real holocaust, slaughtering and maiming thousands of innocent Palestinians and utterly destroying civilian neighborhoods, hospitals, college buildings and other public facilities. It is more or less a reenactment of the Dresden holocaust as the site of bombed-out neighborhoods throughout Gaza defies linguistic description.
The US not only failed to prevent the real holocaust. It went a step further by shamelessly condoning and justifying it, without the slightest regard for the huge death and destruction inflicted by the Nazis of our time.
In fact, American officials and politicians, from President Obama to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have effectively blamed Gazan victims for their own death and their fresh Nakba. This is more than a monumental moral failure. It is nothing short of indulgence in moral prostitution.
What else can one say of these utterly unethical reactions to manifestly Nazi acts against a completely helpless, thoroughly tormented and hermetically blockaded people, struggling to survive?
Were America a force of moral conscience in our world, as it constantly claims to be, it would insist that Judeo-Nazi leaders, such as Netanyahu and Yaalon, are shipped like drugged animals to The Hague to stand trial for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Indeed, if the U.S. were to behave in this manner, the Netanyahus, Sharons and Bashar el-Assads of this world would have thought twice before embarking on their heinous crimes against humanity.
To be sure, America's criminal behavior, which is not a new phenomenon by any means, has not been confined to the verbal sphere. Indeed, as Israel was exterminating Gaza civilians from land, air and sea, the Pentagon was sending Israel more "hellfire missiles" to incinerate more and more Palestinian kids.
And as Palestinian babies and their breastfeeding mothers were being mutilated to bits and pieces by Israel's American supplied missiles and bombs, obsequious political prostitutes in Washington were busy issuing all sorts of statements in support of Jewish Nazism.
Americans used to boast about their freedoms and First Amendment liberties. However, America’s ignominious record in enabling and abetting evil around the world is too bleak and too overwhelming to be whitewashed by any rhetoric about virtuous claims, genuine or otherwise.
I know that most Americans are too helpless to exert an influence on, let alone change their government's policies. After all, the American government is thoroughly fettered with Jewish shackles, making it effectively answerable to Jewish Zionist lobbies rather than to the American people.
One American college professor from Texas told me recently this week that the one who calls the shots in Washington was Binyamin Netanyahu, the thuggish Israeli premier, not Barack Obama.
"Obama is only a figurehead…nothing more. The Jews tightly control our government and our congress is Israel's ultimate whore," wrote the professor.
America's treacherous discourse in the Middle East is by no means confined to the Palestinian issue.
This week marks the passage of one year since the pornographic massacre of pro-democracy Egyptian protesters at the Rabaa square, at the hands of the Sissi gang.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report marking the occasion that the Egyptian army and police carried out the gruesome massacre knowingly and deliberately and that the carnage had been carefully planned. The report called the carnage the bleakest day in Egypt's modern history.
Yet, the unethical Obama administration continued to curry favor with the Sissi junta, nearly totally ignoring the hideous mega carnage. Far from holding the Sissi gang responsible for the crime against humanity, the U.S. government sought to find all sorts of excuses to vindicate the Sissi gang.
Again, were the U.S. a moral force, it would have behaved and acted differently.
Then there is the murderous Syrian regime of Bashar el-Assad, which has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of its own people in order to stay a few more years in power. By now; however, it is crystal clear that the slow-motion genocide in Syria is continuing unabated with America's consent if not encouragement.
The huge moral and human failure on the part of the country of the Statue of Liberty is another sorry reminder that it is absolutely futile to count on America for expediting the forces of good and defeating the forces of evil in this world.
But this predicament should also give us the hope that America will eventually meet the same fate of Nazi Germany, and the former Soviet Union.
The Palestinian delegation is on its way to Cairo to carry out another round of ceasefire talks on Sunday, member of Hamas political bureau, Ezzat al-Resheq, said, vowing "Our military victory will culminate in a political victory." “We will remain the trustees on our people’s rights. We are determined to stop the Israeli aggression and lift the siege,” Resheq added in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the PLO have been deliberating over ways to reach a permanent ceasefire in Cairo, Resheq further confirmed.
Another round of Cairo-sponsored talks has resumed on Sunday between the Palestinian and Israeli truce envoys to reach agreements on a permanent ceasefire before the expiration of a five-day truce at midnight Monday.
Head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Mishaal said Hamas is still clinging to the Palestinian standpoint, calling for lifting the siege, opening the border crossings, re-constructing Gaza airport and building a seaport.
Mishaal further urged the international community to step in so as to lift the Gaza siege.
“We do not want our Gazan citizens to feel they are locked-up and denied their right to live a normal life. We want to restore their sense of security and urge the Israeli occupation to meet our demands. But Israel has been paying no heed,” Mishaal stated in an interview with al-Jazeera TV channel
Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziad al-Nakhala, said earlier there have been agreements on several points with broker-Egypt, possibly increasing the chances of reaching a long-term ceasefire agreement.
However, Secretary General of the People’s Party and member of the truce delegation Bassem al-Salhi said the current talks do not bode well.
Meanwhile, Israel is striving to convince Hamas and the Palestinian factions that it does not aim at stepping up its offensive and is actually seeking a one-sided ceasefire that would include opening the crossings and expanding the authorized fishing area for Palestinian fishermen until a permanent ceasefire is reached.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has turned down renewed Egyptian-brokered ceasefire appeals following a round of deliberations with the Israeli war minister Moshe Ya’alon, the Hebrew Maariv newspaper confirmed on Saturday night.
The Israeli Channel 2 quoted political sources as saying that Israel had rejected all ceasefire bids so far, pledging to agree on other truce tenders only if they include assurances that take into considerations its “security interests”.
Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the PLO have been deliberating over ways to reach a permanent ceasefire in Cairo, Resheq further confirmed.
Another round of Cairo-sponsored talks has resumed on Sunday between the Palestinian and Israeli truce envoys to reach agreements on a permanent ceasefire before the expiration of a five-day truce at midnight Monday.
Head of Hamas political bureau Khaled Mishaal said Hamas is still clinging to the Palestinian standpoint, calling for lifting the siege, opening the border crossings, re-constructing Gaza airport and building a seaport.
Mishaal further urged the international community to step in so as to lift the Gaza siege.
“We do not want our Gazan citizens to feel they are locked-up and denied their right to live a normal life. We want to restore their sense of security and urge the Israeli occupation to meet our demands. But Israel has been paying no heed,” Mishaal stated in an interview with al-Jazeera TV channel
Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziad al-Nakhala, said earlier there have been agreements on several points with broker-Egypt, possibly increasing the chances of reaching a long-term ceasefire agreement.
However, Secretary General of the People’s Party and member of the truce delegation Bassem al-Salhi said the current talks do not bode well.
Meanwhile, Israel is striving to convince Hamas and the Palestinian factions that it does not aim at stepping up its offensive and is actually seeking a one-sided ceasefire that would include opening the crossings and expanding the authorized fishing area for Palestinian fishermen until a permanent ceasefire is reached.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has turned down renewed Egyptian-brokered ceasefire appeals following a round of deliberations with the Israeli war minister Moshe Ya’alon, the Hebrew Maariv newspaper confirmed on Saturday night.
The Israeli Channel 2 quoted political sources as saying that Israel had rejected all ceasefire bids so far, pledging to agree on other truce tenders only if they include assurances that take into considerations its “security interests”.
Thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their own and only homes due to the ongoing Israeli military offensive that has been rocking besieged Gaza for over a month, a UN report revealed on Saturday. According to a statement released on Saturday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA), the rate of Palestinians who have been displaced due to mounting Israeli acts of terror in Gaza has gone up to 218,000, all sheltering in 87 UN-run schools across the Gaza Strip.
Alternative housing is currently needed for the approximately 100,000 people whose homes have either been completely destroyed or severely damaged, the UN report further highlighted.
A total of 230 schools have sustained some degree of damage, including 90 UNRWA schools. 25 schools have been razed to the ground, OCHA added.
According to the report, cash assistance of more than US$68 million is needed for some 16,792 families to cover rental fees and urgent expenses after having fallen prey to severe damage throughout the Gaza offensive.
OCHA warned of the deadly risks lying ahead of Gaza civilians, particularly children, farmers, rescue staffs, and refugees, due to the thousands of rocket-propelled grenades and unexploded ordnance left in residential communities and Gaza-based UN-run facilities
Alternative housing is currently needed for the approximately 100,000 people whose homes have either been completely destroyed or severely damaged, the UN report further highlighted.
A total of 230 schools have sustained some degree of damage, including 90 UNRWA schools. 25 schools have been razed to the ground, OCHA added.
According to the report, cash assistance of more than US$68 million is needed for some 16,792 families to cover rental fees and urgent expenses after having fallen prey to severe damage throughout the Gaza offensive.
OCHA warned of the deadly risks lying ahead of Gaza civilians, particularly children, farmers, rescue staffs, and refugees, due to the thousands of rocket-propelled grenades and unexploded ordnance left in residential communities and Gaza-based UN-run facilities
A Palestinian child carries a ball and bird cage as he walks on the rubble of a building close to the Rafah refugee camp, in southern Gaza Strip, on August 4, 2014
By Martin Lejeune
On the night of the July 27, the first day of the Muslim Eid-Al-Fitr festival following the fasting month of Ramadan, the Israeli air force dropped three bombs on Al-Hurani's carpentry workshop. Each of the three bombs had an explosive force of 250 pounds.
Al-Hurani pointed towards the charred left overs of the tables, armchairs and beds, "all designed according to the desires of each individual customer, processed with the best woods and decorated with passion, as our customers expect from us," he told Ma'an.
The carpentry of the Al-Hurani family is well-known across the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabaliya, and is respected throughout the Gaza Strip for its precise designs. In addition to family members, Al-Hurani employed 25 workers in his workshop before the Israeli assault.
"Due to the total destruction of our plant everyone had to be dismissed immediately and I do not know how to feed my family anymore. We don't know how to move on from here," he said.
The family possesses no savings for the construction of a new workshop and they believe there is no hope for obtaining any kind of compensation for the estimated $450,000 in damages they have suffered.
Abu Eida, one of the largest construction companies in the Gaza Strip, is headquartered in the industrial area east of Jabaliya that the air force also dropped several 250 pound bombs on Aug. 2.
Abed Rabou Abu Eida, CEO of the construction company, told Ma'an he was not aware of the exact number of bombs being dropped.
An on-site inspection of the premises, however, revealed the extent of the destruction: Three large buildings, which had all been reinforced by concrete, the warehouse containing cement and bricks, as well as the construction machinery have all been flattened.
Abu Eida estimates the cost of the total damage to be around $7.5 million. As a result of the attack, he had to dismiss all of his 70 permanent workers because the company could no longer operate. Hundreds of part-time workers that deal with Abu-Eida on a sporadic basis are also out of work.
"In 2008 and 2012 the factory premises were already completely destroyed by the Israeli air force and our company has not received any kind of compensation, due to the law passed in 2007," Abu Eida said, referring to an Israeli law that defined Gaza as enemy territory and thus its residents ineligible for compensation through civil suits.
"This time we have no more money to rebuild our company a third time."
'Where can we get new cows from?'
By Martin Lejeune
On the night of the July 27, the first day of the Muslim Eid-Al-Fitr festival following the fasting month of Ramadan, the Israeli air force dropped three bombs on Al-Hurani's carpentry workshop. Each of the three bombs had an explosive force of 250 pounds.
Al-Hurani pointed towards the charred left overs of the tables, armchairs and beds, "all designed according to the desires of each individual customer, processed with the best woods and decorated with passion, as our customers expect from us," he told Ma'an.
The carpentry of the Al-Hurani family is well-known across the northern Gaza Strip city of Jabaliya, and is respected throughout the Gaza Strip for its precise designs. In addition to family members, Al-Hurani employed 25 workers in his workshop before the Israeli assault.
"Due to the total destruction of our plant everyone had to be dismissed immediately and I do not know how to feed my family anymore. We don't know how to move on from here," he said.
The family possesses no savings for the construction of a new workshop and they believe there is no hope for obtaining any kind of compensation for the estimated $450,000 in damages they have suffered.
Abu Eida, one of the largest construction companies in the Gaza Strip, is headquartered in the industrial area east of Jabaliya that the air force also dropped several 250 pound bombs on Aug. 2.
Abed Rabou Abu Eida, CEO of the construction company, told Ma'an he was not aware of the exact number of bombs being dropped.
An on-site inspection of the premises, however, revealed the extent of the destruction: Three large buildings, which had all been reinforced by concrete, the warehouse containing cement and bricks, as well as the construction machinery have all been flattened.
Abu Eida estimates the cost of the total damage to be around $7.5 million. As a result of the attack, he had to dismiss all of his 70 permanent workers because the company could no longer operate. Hundreds of part-time workers that deal with Abu-Eida on a sporadic basis are also out of work.
"In 2008 and 2012 the factory premises were already completely destroyed by the Israeli air force and our company has not received any kind of compensation, due to the law passed in 2007," Abu Eida said, referring to an Israeli law that defined Gaza as enemy territory and thus its residents ineligible for compensation through civil suits.
"This time we have no more money to rebuild our company a third time."
'Where can we get new cows from?'
At the end of Abu Khayr street in the Jabaliya industrial area sits the Al-Fayoumi family farm. The farm once owned 150 cows and sold milk twice a day to dairy factories.
130 of the cows were killed in their stables during the Israeli bombing on Aug. 2, according to workers on the farm.
During a visit to the ruined courtyard on August 13, workers were still trying to collect and burn the remaining corpses. The terrible smell of the semi-decomposed carcasses of cattle lay side by side with charred hens when Ma'an visited.
A swarm of flies covered the corpses, trying to get its share.
"Where can the Al-Fayoumis get new cows from?" asked a worker who did not want to give his name. "The borders to Gaza are closed and the smuggling tunnels destroyed."
Wael Al-Wadia, owner of the Saraio candy factory in the same area, showed Ma'an the remains of his completely ruined factory buildings, where ice cream, biscuits, and cakes were once made.
"I had 100 workers on permanent contracts. 100 workers who have fed 100 families and now have no income," al-Wadia said. The factory produced five tons of sweets on a daily basis, he said. Now, everything is gone.
Al-Qadia estimated that it would cost him $7 million to purchase the same equipment again, which he had initially brought to Gaza from Italy.
"We have made the best biscuits in the Gaza Strip. Every market in Gaza sold our products. Our biscuits were as good as the Biscotti’s from Italy," he told Ma'an.
Israel has 'systematically destroyed' Gaza economy
130 of the cows were killed in their stables during the Israeli bombing on Aug. 2, according to workers on the farm.
During a visit to the ruined courtyard on August 13, workers were still trying to collect and burn the remaining corpses. The terrible smell of the semi-decomposed carcasses of cattle lay side by side with charred hens when Ma'an visited.
A swarm of flies covered the corpses, trying to get its share.
"Where can the Al-Fayoumis get new cows from?" asked a worker who did not want to give his name. "The borders to Gaza are closed and the smuggling tunnels destroyed."
Wael Al-Wadia, owner of the Saraio candy factory in the same area, showed Ma'an the remains of his completely ruined factory buildings, where ice cream, biscuits, and cakes were once made.
"I had 100 workers on permanent contracts. 100 workers who have fed 100 families and now have no income," al-Wadia said. The factory produced five tons of sweets on a daily basis, he said. Now, everything is gone.
Al-Qadia estimated that it would cost him $7 million to purchase the same equipment again, which he had initially brought to Gaza from Italy.
"We have made the best biscuits in the Gaza Strip. Every market in Gaza sold our products. Our biscuits were as good as the Biscotti’s from Italy," he told Ma'an.
Israel has 'systematically destroyed' Gaza economy
But it was not only factories, hospitals, schools, farms, agricultural land, and the famous orange groves of Beit Hanoun that were bombed during the worst of the Israeli assault between July 6 and Aug. 3.
Gaza's sole power station, its largest mosques, and the building of the popular TV station Al-Quds were also hit, while tens of thousands of private homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
Muhsen Abu Ramadan, Director of the Arab Center for Agricultural Economic Development in Gaza, told Ma'an that the damage to the besieged coastal enclave's economy, however, predates the recent Israeli assault.
"The economic crisis began long before the aggression, and is a result of the eight years lasting blockade of Gaza," he said.
Abu Ramadan estimates that even before the beginning of the Israeli attacks in July, 40 percent of the labor force was unemployed, 30 percent lived below the poverty line, 57 percent were at risk of malnutrition, and 70 percent received food parcels from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East or other organizations.
"These numbers have increased dramatically since the bombings," said Abu Ramadan.
He also said that Israeli army completely destroyed 220 factories in the campaign, while hundreds more suffered partial damage.
Abu Ramadan estimates the cost of destruction of agricultural land at around $200 million and the amount of the total costs to the economy at several billion dollars.
"Gaza would need five years to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure," he said.
But given the current economic conditions caused by the occupation and the blockade of Gaza, he estimated that reconstruction will take at least ten years.
"We have the right to import building materials and this right must be given to us immediately, especially with the help of the international community. Otherwise, we will not be able to rebuild our destroyed houses and factories," Abu Ramadan added.
Tens of thousands have joined the ranks of the unemployed since the imposition of the harsh Israeli blockade in 2007, and given the scale of the damage suffered during the massive Israeli assault, of those who were still employed in industry and agriculture in July it is unlikely that more than a few thousand are still working in either sector. A few thousand out of 1.8 million people.
"Israel is not only attacking civilians and their homes, but also systematically destroyed the economy of the Gaza Strip in order to make people dependent on emergency aid," Abu Ramadan argued.
"Now that almost the entire economy is destroyed, people can no longer work, thus cutting their purchasing power dramatically. Now youth wants to emigrate at even younger ages than before. Due to the emigration of young skilled workers the economy is becoming even weaker."
"Israel has managed to transform a functioning economy into a third world country through eight years of embargo and three assaults in five years. Without ending the embargo, it is impossible to break out of this vicious cycle ourselves," Abu Ramadan added.
Martin Lejeune is a German journalist based in Gaza. Follow him on twitter
Gaza's sole power station, its largest mosques, and the building of the popular TV station Al-Quds were also hit, while tens of thousands of private homes were destroyed or severely damaged.
Muhsen Abu Ramadan, Director of the Arab Center for Agricultural Economic Development in Gaza, told Ma'an that the damage to the besieged coastal enclave's economy, however, predates the recent Israeli assault.
"The economic crisis began long before the aggression, and is a result of the eight years lasting blockade of Gaza," he said.
Abu Ramadan estimates that even before the beginning of the Israeli attacks in July, 40 percent of the labor force was unemployed, 30 percent lived below the poverty line, 57 percent were at risk of malnutrition, and 70 percent received food parcels from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East or other organizations.
"These numbers have increased dramatically since the bombings," said Abu Ramadan.
He also said that Israeli army completely destroyed 220 factories in the campaign, while hundreds more suffered partial damage.
Abu Ramadan estimates the cost of destruction of agricultural land at around $200 million and the amount of the total costs to the economy at several billion dollars.
"Gaza would need five years to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure," he said.
But given the current economic conditions caused by the occupation and the blockade of Gaza, he estimated that reconstruction will take at least ten years.
"We have the right to import building materials and this right must be given to us immediately, especially with the help of the international community. Otherwise, we will not be able to rebuild our destroyed houses and factories," Abu Ramadan added.
Tens of thousands have joined the ranks of the unemployed since the imposition of the harsh Israeli blockade in 2007, and given the scale of the damage suffered during the massive Israeli assault, of those who were still employed in industry and agriculture in July it is unlikely that more than a few thousand are still working in either sector. A few thousand out of 1.8 million people.
"Israel is not only attacking civilians and their homes, but also systematically destroyed the economy of the Gaza Strip in order to make people dependent on emergency aid," Abu Ramadan argued.
"Now that almost the entire economy is destroyed, people can no longer work, thus cutting their purchasing power dramatically. Now youth wants to emigrate at even younger ages than before. Due to the emigration of young skilled workers the economy is becoming even weaker."
"Israel has managed to transform a functioning economy into a third world country through eight years of embargo and three assaults in five years. Without ending the embargo, it is impossible to break out of this vicious cycle ourselves," Abu Ramadan added.
Martin Lejeune is a German journalist based in Gaza. Follow him on twitter
A Hamas spokesman on Sunday accused Israel of "stalling" in ongoing negotiations in Cairo to achieve a long-term truce in Gaza, stressing that "the ball is in the Israeli occupation's court."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said during a march in solidarity with Palestinian resistance in Rafah that the group's "priority is to reach an agreement, but the occupiers must stop stalling."
"We are discussing an agreement from a position of strength, not weakness," he said, adding: "Either we have an agreement that meets our demands, or no agreement."
"Israelis will not enjoy safety until our people do and the siege is completely lifted. (Israelis in the south) will only return home when Hamas allows them to, not when Netanyahu does," he said.
Israel "must be ready for the consequences of the failure to agree," he added.
The remarks come on the fourth day of a five-day temporary ceasefire in the hostilities that began more than five weeks ago with a massive Israeli aerial assault on Gaza that was followed by a major ground invasion.
On Sunday, medical authorities in Gaza said that the total death toll of the assault in Gaza had hit 2,016 and more than 10,193 injured, as dozens more Palestinians succumbed to wounds sustained during the bombardment.
Gaza-based spokesman for the Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that the massive increase in the number of dead also included a number of bodies that were pulled from the rubble as thousands of displaced families and rescue teams took advantage of the calm to return to their former homes.
Al-Qidra said that the dead included at least 541 children and 95 elderly, while 3,084 children and 368 elderly were among the wounded.
Indirect negotiations in Cairo between Israel and a Palestinian delegation with representatives of all major political parties including Hamas have offered a hope of reaching a lasting ceasefire and an end to the Israeli assault.
Despite signs of a potential agreement at the end of the current five-day temporary ceasefire, however, it is still unclear whether a deal is in the works, the temporary ceasefire will be re-extended, or hostilities will recommence Monday at midnight when the ceasefire ends.
The Palestinian delegation has insisted that any long-term truce include the end of Israel's eight-year siege on the Gaza Strip, release of dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, re-opening of a seaport and airport in Gaza, and creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel, however, has countered that any agreement should include the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, which Palestinians resolutely reject, particularly in light of the recent assault.
'Mandate to stand firm on security needs'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will not agree to any long-term ceasefire in Gaza at indirect talks in Cairo unless its security needs are clearly met.
"The Israeli delegation in Cairo is acting with a very clear mandate to stand firmly on Israel's security needs," Netanyahu told ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
"Only if there is a clear answer to Israel's security needs, only then will we agree to reach an understanding," he said, as Israel's negotiating team made its way back to Cairo for the talks.
In a sign that the gaps between the two sides are unlikely to be bridgeable, Netanyahu warned that Hamas would not chalk up any diplomatic successes in Cairo.
"If Hamas thinks it will make up for its military losses with a political achievement, it is wrong," he said.
"If Hamas thinks that by continuing the steady trickle of rocket fire it will force us to make concessions, it is wrong," he said.
Ahead of Sunday's cabinet meeting, ministers insisted there would be no long-term truce agreement, nor would the Palestinians win Israel's agreement to the establishment of a port or airport without Gaza first being disarmed.
"We have to insist on the matter of demilitarization," Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told reporters.
"A sea port and or an airport without demilitarization is like a duty free for missiles and rockets," he said.
"So far, many Grad (rockets) and Fajar missiles have been smuggled into Gaza and we don't want to find ourselves in a situation where Scud missiles are being smuggled into Gaza through the port," he said.
Top diplomats from the European Union said on Friday that a durable ceasefire must mean "all terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm" in a statement welcomed by Israel's foreign ministry which said it was the only way to ensure a "fundamental change" of the situation.
"There won't be reconstruction without Gaza's demilitarization, and there won't be a ceasefire without quiet for those in the south," Finance Minister Yair Lapid told reporters.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, a cabinet hardliner, called for an immediate end to the talks in Cairo, urging Israel to implement its own unilateral initiative thereby avoiding the need to sign any form of agreement with Hamas.
"Any agreement which ties our hands will just speed up the next war," he said in a statement.
Hamas: The only way for "security" is to give it for the Palestinians first
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the only way for security is through making the occupied Palestinian people feel it first and ending the blockade imposed on them in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri made his remarks in response to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who threatened recently to launch more painful strikes against Hamas if all the Israelis did not enjoy calm and security.
"Netanyahu's talk about his alleged victory was just for media consumption to evade the Israelis' resentment and cover up his failure," the spokesman underscored.
"It is enough for Netanyahu that hundreds of his soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured, and our resistance operations and rockets successfully hit Israel's depth," the spokesman added.
Netanyahu had claimed in a weekly cabinet meeting that his army dealt a severe blow to Hamas and its infrastructure during the recent war on Gaza.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said during a march in solidarity with Palestinian resistance in Rafah that the group's "priority is to reach an agreement, but the occupiers must stop stalling."
"We are discussing an agreement from a position of strength, not weakness," he said, adding: "Either we have an agreement that meets our demands, or no agreement."
"Israelis will not enjoy safety until our people do and the siege is completely lifted. (Israelis in the south) will only return home when Hamas allows them to, not when Netanyahu does," he said.
Israel "must be ready for the consequences of the failure to agree," he added.
The remarks come on the fourth day of a five-day temporary ceasefire in the hostilities that began more than five weeks ago with a massive Israeli aerial assault on Gaza that was followed by a major ground invasion.
On Sunday, medical authorities in Gaza said that the total death toll of the assault in Gaza had hit 2,016 and more than 10,193 injured, as dozens more Palestinians succumbed to wounds sustained during the bombardment.
Gaza-based spokesman for the Ministry of Health Ashraf al-Qidra told Ma'an that the massive increase in the number of dead also included a number of bodies that were pulled from the rubble as thousands of displaced families and rescue teams took advantage of the calm to return to their former homes.
Al-Qidra said that the dead included at least 541 children and 95 elderly, while 3,084 children and 368 elderly were among the wounded.
Indirect negotiations in Cairo between Israel and a Palestinian delegation with representatives of all major political parties including Hamas have offered a hope of reaching a lasting ceasefire and an end to the Israeli assault.
Despite signs of a potential agreement at the end of the current five-day temporary ceasefire, however, it is still unclear whether a deal is in the works, the temporary ceasefire will be re-extended, or hostilities will recommence Monday at midnight when the ceasefire ends.
The Palestinian delegation has insisted that any long-term truce include the end of Israel's eight-year siege on the Gaza Strip, release of dozens of prisoners whom Israel has re-arrested that were released in 2011 as part of the Shalit exchange, re-opening of a seaport and airport in Gaza, and creation of a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel, however, has countered that any agreement should include the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, which Palestinians resolutely reject, particularly in light of the recent assault.
'Mandate to stand firm on security needs'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel will not agree to any long-term ceasefire in Gaza at indirect talks in Cairo unless its security needs are clearly met.
"The Israeli delegation in Cairo is acting with a very clear mandate to stand firmly on Israel's security needs," Netanyahu told ministers at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
"Only if there is a clear answer to Israel's security needs, only then will we agree to reach an understanding," he said, as Israel's negotiating team made its way back to Cairo for the talks.
In a sign that the gaps between the two sides are unlikely to be bridgeable, Netanyahu warned that Hamas would not chalk up any diplomatic successes in Cairo.
"If Hamas thinks it will make up for its military losses with a political achievement, it is wrong," he said.
"If Hamas thinks that by continuing the steady trickle of rocket fire it will force us to make concessions, it is wrong," he said.
Ahead of Sunday's cabinet meeting, ministers insisted there would be no long-term truce agreement, nor would the Palestinians win Israel's agreement to the establishment of a port or airport without Gaza first being disarmed.
"We have to insist on the matter of demilitarization," Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz told reporters.
"A sea port and or an airport without demilitarization is like a duty free for missiles and rockets," he said.
"So far, many Grad (rockets) and Fajar missiles have been smuggled into Gaza and we don't want to find ourselves in a situation where Scud missiles are being smuggled into Gaza through the port," he said.
Top diplomats from the European Union said on Friday that a durable ceasefire must mean "all terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm" in a statement welcomed by Israel's foreign ministry which said it was the only way to ensure a "fundamental change" of the situation.
"There won't be reconstruction without Gaza's demilitarization, and there won't be a ceasefire without quiet for those in the south," Finance Minister Yair Lapid told reporters.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, a cabinet hardliner, called for an immediate end to the talks in Cairo, urging Israel to implement its own unilateral initiative thereby avoiding the need to sign any form of agreement with Hamas.
"Any agreement which ties our hands will just speed up the next war," he said in a statement.
Hamas: The only way for "security" is to give it for the Palestinians first
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the only way for security is through making the occupied Palestinian people feel it first and ending the blockade imposed on them in Gaza.
Abu Zuhri made his remarks in response to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu who threatened recently to launch more painful strikes against Hamas if all the Israelis did not enjoy calm and security.
"Netanyahu's talk about his alleged victory was just for media consumption to evade the Israelis' resentment and cover up his failure," the spokesman underscored.
"It is enough for Netanyahu that hundreds of his soldiers were either killed, wounded or captured, and our resistance operations and rockets successfully hit Israel's depth," the spokesman added.
Netanyahu had claimed in a weekly cabinet meeting that his army dealt a severe blow to Hamas and its infrastructure during the recent war on Gaza.
The Hamas Movement said that Israel's refusal to accept the "just" humanitarian demands of the Palestinian people in Gaza makes it difficult to reach a truce deal with it. "The demands of the Palestinian people represented in ending the aggression, lifting the siege, reconstruction and freedom of movement are just and humanitarian, and answering them would bring us closer to clinching a truce deal, otherwise things would be more difficult," spokesman for the Movement Sami Abu Zuhri stated in a press release.
The indirect Egyptian-mediated talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in Cairo are still ongoing despite the Israeli intransigence.
For his part, Osama Hamdan, director of Hamas's foreign relations, warned on Saturday that the resistance would escalate its political and military moves in case Israel failed to respond to the just demands that had been tabled by the Palestinian delegation in Cairo talks.
Hamdan also stated that the Palestinian resistance would take advantage of the mounting international pressure on Israel and increase its demands if Israel continued to reject them.
"There would be different field and political moves if the truce ended without reaching an agreement with the Zionists," the Hamas official asserted
The indirect Egyptian-mediated talks between the Palestinians and Israelis in Cairo are still ongoing despite the Israeli intransigence.
For his part, Osama Hamdan, director of Hamas's foreign relations, warned on Saturday that the resistance would escalate its political and military moves in case Israel failed to respond to the just demands that had been tabled by the Palestinian delegation in Cairo talks.
Hamdan also stated that the Palestinian resistance would take advantage of the mounting international pressure on Israel and increase its demands if Israel continued to reject them.
"There would be different field and political moves if the truce ended without reaching an agreement with the Zionists," the Hamas official asserted
Hamad (R) and Mohammed (L) sit in a destroyed apartment building where they lived with their families in the neighborhood of Al-Shaas in the north of the Gaza Strip enclave on Aug. 16, 2014
Israel warned Sunday it would not countenance any long-term truce deal that did not answer its security needs as Gaza ceasefire talks were set to resume in Cairo.
Egyptian-brokered indirect negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are taking place during a five-day lull in the fighting which is due to expire at midnight on Monday.
The aim is to broker a long-term arrangement to halt over a month of bloody fighting which erupted on July 8 and has so far claimed 1,980 Palestinians lives and 67 on the Israeli side.
But as the Israeli team landed in Cairo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would not agree to any proposal which did not offer a clear answer to Israel's security needs.
"The Israeli delegation in Cairo is acting with a very clear mandate to stand firmly on Israel's security needs," said Netanyahu.
"Only if there is a clear answer to Israel's security needs, only then will we agree to reach an understanding."
Despite the looming deadline, talks were only expected to resume during the evening when the full Palestinian team reached Cairo, officials said.
Both teams had returned home for three-days of consultations with their respective political masters.
Cairo airport sources said the Israeli delegation arrived mid-morning from Tel Aviv, and a Palestinian delegation from Ramallah flew in around the same time via Amman.
Hamas' exiled deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzouq arrived from Doha, but a four-strong team from Gaza was expected in the evening following a road trip of up to eight hours.
In Gaza, although residents enjoyed a weekend free of the deadly fighting, they were now facing other battles including the struggle to cope with a chronic water shortage.
"There's no water here and the toilets are very dirty, this is no kind of life," said Feriel al-Zaaneen who is sheltering at a UN school and hasn't been able to have a shower in over a month.
Muntaha al-Kafarna, a mother of nine who has been living in a small tent in the school courtyard did manage to shower at a nearby hospital, but says her family is really suffering from the water shortage.
"My sons have caught lice and nits because they can't shower here," she said.
"I wish a missile would hit us, me and my children. Dying is better than this life."
'Basic human rights'
In Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his commitment to the Egyptian proposal.
"Our goal is to stop fighting and we are committed to the Egyptian initiative and nothing else," he said.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the Palestinians would not back down from their demands, central to which is a lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade.
"There is no way back from this. All these demands are basic human rights that do not need this battle or these negotiations," Abu Zuhri told AFP.
"The only way to have security is for Palestinians to feel it first and have the blockade lifted," he said.
But Netanyahu warned that Hamas, which he said had suffered a major military blow, would not walk away from the talks with any political success.
"If Hamas thinks it will make up for its military losses with a political achievement, it is wrong," Netanyuhu said.
Abu Zuhri responded in a statement, saying: "Netanyahu's comments about an alleged victory are just for the media in an attempt to evade wrath from Israelis and to cover for his failure."
"It's enough for Netanyahu that hundreds of his soldiers were either killed, injured, or captured, and that the resistance's rockets succeeded in striking the depths of Israel and blockading its airspace."
With their demands seemingly irreconcilable, the Egyptian mediators have their work cut out to hammer out a deal that each side can present as some kind of achievement.
Palestinian delegation head Azzam al-Ahmad said he was quietly optimistic that an agreement could be reached.
"We have high hopes of reaching an agreement very soon, before the end of the truce, and perhaps even, very quickly, for a permanent ceasefire," he told AFP.
2-stage proposal
Talks are expected to resume on the basis of an Egyptian proposal, seen by AFP, which calls for a lasting ceasefire beyond Monday midnight, and new talks on the thorniest issues, including demands for a seaport and airport in Gaza, which will begin in a month's time.
Negotiations about handing over the remains of two Israeli soldiers in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would also be discussed in a month.
The European Union said a durable ceasefire must be accompanied by lifting closures on Gaza and called on "all terrorist groups" in the territory to disarm.
Israel has so far refused to countenance any major reconstruction effort without full demilitarization.
Israel warned Sunday it would not countenance any long-term truce deal that did not answer its security needs as Gaza ceasefire talks were set to resume in Cairo.
Egyptian-brokered indirect negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are taking place during a five-day lull in the fighting which is due to expire at midnight on Monday.
The aim is to broker a long-term arrangement to halt over a month of bloody fighting which erupted on July 8 and has so far claimed 1,980 Palestinians lives and 67 on the Israeli side.
But as the Israeli team landed in Cairo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they would not agree to any proposal which did not offer a clear answer to Israel's security needs.
"The Israeli delegation in Cairo is acting with a very clear mandate to stand firmly on Israel's security needs," said Netanyahu.
"Only if there is a clear answer to Israel's security needs, only then will we agree to reach an understanding."
Despite the looming deadline, talks were only expected to resume during the evening when the full Palestinian team reached Cairo, officials said.
Both teams had returned home for three-days of consultations with their respective political masters.
Cairo airport sources said the Israeli delegation arrived mid-morning from Tel Aviv, and a Palestinian delegation from Ramallah flew in around the same time via Amman.
Hamas' exiled deputy leader Mousa Abu Marzouq arrived from Doha, but a four-strong team from Gaza was expected in the evening following a road trip of up to eight hours.
In Gaza, although residents enjoyed a weekend free of the deadly fighting, they were now facing other battles including the struggle to cope with a chronic water shortage.
"There's no water here and the toilets are very dirty, this is no kind of life," said Feriel al-Zaaneen who is sheltering at a UN school and hasn't been able to have a shower in over a month.
Muntaha al-Kafarna, a mother of nine who has been living in a small tent in the school courtyard did manage to shower at a nearby hospital, but says her family is really suffering from the water shortage.
"My sons have caught lice and nits because they can't shower here," she said.
"I wish a missile would hit us, me and my children. Dying is better than this life."
'Basic human rights'
In Ramallah, President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his commitment to the Egyptian proposal.
"Our goal is to stop fighting and we are committed to the Egyptian initiative and nothing else," he said.
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the Palestinians would not back down from their demands, central to which is a lifting of Israel's eight-year blockade.
"There is no way back from this. All these demands are basic human rights that do not need this battle or these negotiations," Abu Zuhri told AFP.
"The only way to have security is for Palestinians to feel it first and have the blockade lifted," he said.
But Netanyahu warned that Hamas, which he said had suffered a major military blow, would not walk away from the talks with any political success.
"If Hamas thinks it will make up for its military losses with a political achievement, it is wrong," Netanyuhu said.
Abu Zuhri responded in a statement, saying: "Netanyahu's comments about an alleged victory are just for the media in an attempt to evade wrath from Israelis and to cover for his failure."
"It's enough for Netanyahu that hundreds of his soldiers were either killed, injured, or captured, and that the resistance's rockets succeeded in striking the depths of Israel and blockading its airspace."
With their demands seemingly irreconcilable, the Egyptian mediators have their work cut out to hammer out a deal that each side can present as some kind of achievement.
Palestinian delegation head Azzam al-Ahmad said he was quietly optimistic that an agreement could be reached.
"We have high hopes of reaching an agreement very soon, before the end of the truce, and perhaps even, very quickly, for a permanent ceasefire," he told AFP.
2-stage proposal
Talks are expected to resume on the basis of an Egyptian proposal, seen by AFP, which calls for a lasting ceasefire beyond Monday midnight, and new talks on the thorniest issues, including demands for a seaport and airport in Gaza, which will begin in a month's time.
Negotiations about handing over the remains of two Israeli soldiers in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would also be discussed in a month.
The European Union said a durable ceasefire must be accompanied by lifting closures on Gaza and called on "all terrorist groups" in the territory to disarm.
Israel has so far refused to countenance any major reconstruction effort without full demilitarization.
Search teams on Sunday recovered a body from rubble in Gaza City, medical sources said Sunday.
The decayed body of 25-year-old Rami Ziad Quneita was found under the wreckage of his home in the Shujaiyya neighborhood, bringing the death toll from Israel's offensive on Gaza to 1,981, the sources said.
Medics say Quneita was likely killed on July 20, when the neighborhood came under heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling in an onslaught Palestinians refer to as the Shujaiyya massacre.
An initial count put the number of Palestinians killed in the attack at 66, but several bodies have been found in the rubble of flattened buildings in the weeks that followed.
The decayed body of 25-year-old Rami Ziad Quneita was found under the wreckage of his home in the Shujaiyya neighborhood, bringing the death toll from Israel's offensive on Gaza to 1,981, the sources said.
Medics say Quneita was likely killed on July 20, when the neighborhood came under heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling in an onslaught Palestinians refer to as the Shujaiyya massacre.
An initial count put the number of Palestinians killed in the attack at 66, but several bodies have been found in the rubble of flattened buildings in the weeks that followed.
Sheikh Ra'ed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in the 1948 occupied lands, said the besieged Gaza Strip, despite its great suffering from blockade and destruction, achieved a victory against the occupation. "Gaza has forced the Zionist media and senior leaders of the army and government to concede defeat and failure to achieve the war objectives," Sheikh Salah stated in a sit-in held in solidarity with Gaza.
He called for ending the siege on Gaza and opening its crossings, seaport and airport, and providing it with its water needs, affirming such demands are the minimum rights of the Palestinian people.
"These demands have been written by the blood of the martyrs, which tells the whole world either we live in Gaza happily or get buried as martyrs," the Palestinian Islamic figure underlined.
He hailed the victory achieved by the resistance in Gaza as a big triumph for all free peoples of the world, and slammed the weak Arab role during Israel's war on Gaza.
He called for ending the siege on Gaza and opening its crossings, seaport and airport, and providing it with its water needs, affirming such demands are the minimum rights of the Palestinian people.
"These demands have been written by the blood of the martyrs, which tells the whole world either we live in Gaza happily or get buried as martyrs," the Palestinian Islamic figure underlined.
He hailed the victory achieved by the resistance in Gaza as a big triumph for all free peoples of the world, and slammed the weak Arab role during Israel's war on Gaza.
A state of alertness and anxiety has overwhelmed the Palestinian streets as Palestinian masses voiced deep concern over truce-gives-and-takes following the extension of the Gaza ceasefire for five days. Scores of Palestinians said they were sick of such provisional ceasefires, dubbing them signs of “Israel’s worn-out procrastination” against the Palestinian people and its resistance factions.
Just as self-determinant was the tone with which another Palestinian mass of people who reverberated unyielding optimism regarding the current ceasefire delegates, many among whom have lost their sons and even grandsons during the Israeli offensive.
Stepping up pressure
25-year-old Palestinian youngster, Ahmad al-Aghwani, one of Gaza homeless victims, urged the Palestinian resistance to lift their truce standards in the talk-table in case the Israeli occupation does not live up to their current draft of demands.
Al-Aghwani, whose family home was shelled by the Israeli fighter jets, told a PIC correspondent: “We shouldn’t have agreed to any such truce-extensions. We are the real victims and casualties. We call on the Palestinian resistance to fire back at the Israeli colonizer until all of our demands are met. Such provisional agreements are of no use.”
“We shouldn’t worry an inch about the Palestinian truce envoys. Our delegates are brave and competent enough to restore all of our demands,” said another citizen.
“For God’s sake do not let us down even if Israel reduces every single corner in Gaza to rubble. We’ve been waiting for so long. So much has been lost. Yet we strongly believe that victory will come by soon,” Palestinian lady Leila Abdul Rahim yelled.
A provisional 120-hour-truce extension, set to end on Monday, has been put into effect as a preventive measure against the anticipated breakdown of the current ceasefire talks.
Legitimate concerns
Political analyst Dr. Fayez Abu Shamala said Palestinians’ mounting anxiety “is legitimate”, as current truce negotiations have become a matter of life or death for the hundreds of Palestinian victims and the entire nation as a whole.
Abu Shamala said in an exclusive interview with the PIC that the current round of talks will bring other ceasefire extensions.
Weak spot
Abu Shamala said the negotiations might step up pressure on the Israeli side, declaring: “The Palestinian resistance will have no other way out than to engage in a war of attrition in order to make its voice heard in case Israel resorts to wordplay and further procrastination.”
He warned of Abbas and his representatives in the truce delegation, dubbing their presence a “chink in Palestinians’ armors.”
Just as self-determinant was the tone with which another Palestinian mass of people who reverberated unyielding optimism regarding the current ceasefire delegates, many among whom have lost their sons and even grandsons during the Israeli offensive.
Stepping up pressure
25-year-old Palestinian youngster, Ahmad al-Aghwani, one of Gaza homeless victims, urged the Palestinian resistance to lift their truce standards in the talk-table in case the Israeli occupation does not live up to their current draft of demands.
Al-Aghwani, whose family home was shelled by the Israeli fighter jets, told a PIC correspondent: “We shouldn’t have agreed to any such truce-extensions. We are the real victims and casualties. We call on the Palestinian resistance to fire back at the Israeli colonizer until all of our demands are met. Such provisional agreements are of no use.”
“We shouldn’t worry an inch about the Palestinian truce envoys. Our delegates are brave and competent enough to restore all of our demands,” said another citizen.
“For God’s sake do not let us down even if Israel reduces every single corner in Gaza to rubble. We’ve been waiting for so long. So much has been lost. Yet we strongly believe that victory will come by soon,” Palestinian lady Leila Abdul Rahim yelled.
A provisional 120-hour-truce extension, set to end on Monday, has been put into effect as a preventive measure against the anticipated breakdown of the current ceasefire talks.
Legitimate concerns
Political analyst Dr. Fayez Abu Shamala said Palestinians’ mounting anxiety “is legitimate”, as current truce negotiations have become a matter of life or death for the hundreds of Palestinian victims and the entire nation as a whole.
Abu Shamala said in an exclusive interview with the PIC that the current round of talks will bring other ceasefire extensions.
Weak spot
Abu Shamala said the negotiations might step up pressure on the Israeli side, declaring: “The Palestinian resistance will have no other way out than to engage in a war of attrition in order to make its voice heard in case Israel resorts to wordplay and further procrastination.”
He warned of Abbas and his representatives in the truce delegation, dubbing their presence a “chink in Palestinians’ armors.”
Israel will pay heavy price for having been dragging its feet vis-à-vis the demands of the Palestinian resistance, the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) vowed, swearing tougher demands will be brought to table as long as Israel’s reluctance is kept up. Dr. Ahmad Bahar, PLC deputy speaker warned, in a written statement, of what he labeled “Israeli procrastination” maintained regarding Hamas draft of demands
“The Palestinian resistance is ready to protect our citizens and stand up for their legitimate rights as has already been ensured by the international humanitarian law. Our resistance is also willing to stand firm and face up to Israeli terrorism,” Bahar wrote.
“Above all our resistance is adept enough to strike deadly blows at the Israeli occupation for whole months, and even years,” he added.
Indirect Egyptian-brokered cease-fire talks resumed on Saturday between Palestinian and Israeli truce delegates over ways to reach a permanent ceasefire, after having extended a humanitarian truce for five days set to end on Monday.
Gaza death toll has topped 1985, all mass-murdered in the wave of Israeli military attacks rocking the Strip since July 7. Thousands of civilians, particularly children, sustained deadly wounds while hundreds of houses and civil institutions have been razed to the ground during the Israeli carnages
“The Palestinian resistance is ready to protect our citizens and stand up for their legitimate rights as has already been ensured by the international humanitarian law. Our resistance is also willing to stand firm and face up to Israeli terrorism,” Bahar wrote.
“Above all our resistance is adept enough to strike deadly blows at the Israeli occupation for whole months, and even years,” he added.
Indirect Egyptian-brokered cease-fire talks resumed on Saturday between Palestinian and Israeli truce delegates over ways to reach a permanent ceasefire, after having extended a humanitarian truce for five days set to end on Monday.
Gaza death toll has topped 1985, all mass-murdered in the wave of Israeli military attacks rocking the Strip since July 7. Thousands of civilians, particularly children, sustained deadly wounds while hundreds of houses and civil institutions have been razed to the ground during the Israeli carnages
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