Hamas holds victory parade as anti-Netanyahu march decries ‘pointless war’

Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters brandishing assault rifles paraded in Gaza city and the group’s top leader made his first public appearance on Saturday afternoon, in a defiant show of strength after the 11-day war with Israel. Saturday marked the first full day of a ceasefire, and Egyptian mediators held talks to firm up the truce that ended the fourth Israel-Hamas war in just over a decade. In the fighting, Israel unleashed hundreds of air strikes against militant targets in Gaza, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets towards Israel. More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians. In Gaza city, residents began assessing the damage. Omar Al Mukhtar Street, one of Gaza city’s busiest commercial areas, was covered in debris, smashed cars and twisted metal after a 13-floor building in its centre was flattened in an Israeli air strike. Merchandise was covered in soot and strewn inside smashed stores and on the pavement. Municipal workers swept broken glass and twisted metal from streets and sidewalks. “We really didn’t expect this amount of damage,” said Ashour Subeih, who sells baby clothes. “We thought the strike was a bit further from us. But as you can see not an area of the shop is intact.” Having been in business for one year, Mr Subeih estimated his losses were double what he has made so far. Drone video and photos showed some city blocks reduced to rubble, in between homes and businesses left standing. Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory. On Saturday, hundreds of Hamas fighters wearing military camouflage paraded past the mourning tent for Bassem Issa, a senior commander killed in the fighting. The top Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, paid his respects in his first public appearance since the war began. Israel bombed the house of Mr Sinwar, along with that of other senior Hamas figures, as part of its attack on what it said was the group’s military infrastructure. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has said Israel delivered a punishing blow to Hamas, and that top Hamas figures remained targets. Still, there was a widespread expectation that the ceasefire would stick for now, even if another round of fighting at some point seems inevitable. Underlying issues remain unresolved – including the 14-year long Israeli-Egyptian border blockade that is choking Gaza’s more than 2 million residents as well as the stalled peace process that leaves no lasting settlement or Palestinian state leading Hamas to refuse to disarm. The UN Security Council released a statement on Saturday, welcoming the ceasefire and stressing “the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza.” Thousands rallied in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, calling for coexistence between Jews and Arabs. On Saturday night, Israeli protesters gathered outside the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accuse him for the latest round of fighting. Mr Netanyahu, "dragged the state of Israel into a pointless war against public interest and security interests and caused great damage to Israel's security and image in the world," Ein Matzav, one of the groups organising the protest, said according to the Jerusalem Post. "Like a corrupt leader at the end of his road, the accused [Mr Netanyahu] is leading Israel into chaos to prevent a changed government,” the protest organisers said. Mr Netanyahu is facing corruption charges even as he seeks to build a new government after Israel’s fourth elections in nearly 2 years. The fighting began on May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets towards Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions. The war has further sidelined Hamas’ main political rival, the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority, which oversees autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas’ popularity seemed to be growing as it positioned itself as a defender of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem although there are no up to date polls. On Friday, hours after the ceasefire took effect, thousands of Palestinians at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa compound chanted against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his self-rule government. “Dogs of the Palestinian Authority, out, out,” they shouted. “The people want the president to leave.” It was an unprecedented display of anger against Mr Abbas, who has been in power since 2005. Palestinians were supposed to be voting on Saturday in their first elections since 2006 but the polls were postponed in April due to the brewing tensions before the outbreak of fighting. The conflict also brought to the surface deep frustration among Palestinians, whether in the occupied West Bank, Gaza or within Israel, over the status quo, with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but abandoned for years. Despite his weakened status, Mr Abbas will be the point of contact for any renewed US diplomacy, since Israel and the West, including the United States, consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet Mr Abbas and Israeli leaders when he visits in the coming week. Mr Abbas is expected to raise demands that any Gaza reconstruction plans go through the Palestinian Authority to avoid strengthening Hamas. Mr Abbas met Saturday with Egyptian mediators, discussing the rebuilding of Gaza and internal Palestinian relations, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. An Egyptian diplomat said that two teams of mediators were in Israel and the Palestinian territories to continue talks on firming up a ceasefire deal and securing long-term calm. The diplomat said discussions include implementing agreed-on measures in Gaza and Jerusalem, including ways to prevent practices that led to the latest fighting. He did not elaborate. He was apparently referring to violence at Al Aqsa Mosque and the planned eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes deliberations. Separately, a 130-truck convoy with humanitarian aid and medical supplies reached the Gaza border from Egypt on Saturday, according to a senior Egyptian official at the border crossing. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to reporters. Across Gaza, an assessment of the damage to the territory’s already decrepit infrastructure began. The Public Works and Housing Ministry said that 769 housing and commercial units were rendered uninhabitable, at least 1,042 units in 258 buildings were destroyed and just over 14,500 units suffered minor damage. The UN said about 800,000 people in Gaza do not have regular access to clean piped water, as nearly 50 per cent of the water network was damaged in the fighting. Israel has said it was targeting Hamas’ military infrastructure, including a vast tunnel system running under roads and homes, as well as command centres, rocket launchers and the homes of commanders. The Israeli military has said it was trying to minimise harm to civilians and accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. However, Gazans accuse Israel of trying to inflict collective punishment on the 2 million inhabitants, hitting houses and commercial districts. The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 39 women, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. Twelve people were killed in Israel, including one soldier, a 5-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl. Israel has accused Hamas and the smaller militant group of Islamic Jihad of hiding the actual number of fighters killed in the war. Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Friday that more than 200 militants were killed, including 25 senior commanders. Islamic Jihad on Saturday gave a first account of deaths within its ranks, saying that 19 of its commanders and fighters were killed, including the head of the rocket unit in northern Gaza.

Hamas holds victory parade as anti-Netanyahu march decries ‘pointless war’

The 11-day conflict came to an end on Friday after Egyptian mediation and the people of Gaza have begun to pick up the pieces