A ceasefire deal has been agreed

[gloriagloria]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3rwqpj70ert

I really hope this is the beginning of peace and prosperity for both sides.

The fact that Israel has excellent defenses against Hamas's shoddy rockets does not negate the fact that Hamas (&c) have been firing rockets into Israel since long before October 7, 2023.

i24 news has reported rocket fire over southern Israel.

The rocket fire from Gaza into Israel has been woefully under reported.

It's just awful isn't it. A young girl died locally of cancer last month and the effect that that one death had on the community was immense, I can't imagine that feeling 5000 times over. Parents having lost multiple children, school having lost multiple pupils, children themselves having lost multiple siblings and friends. I hope that there is a lot of psychological support offered to help them through the incredible trauma they have all been through. 92% of children in Gaza have felt like their death was imminent and almost half wished to die. They really need support quickly to try and prevent multigenerational trauma embedding itself.

Sunday. And yes, rockets have been reported over southern Israel.

I've heard that it's a common thing for attacks to increase in the days before a cease fire.

And Israel were killing Palestinians long before Oct 7 2023, both Hamas and Israel have behaved dreadfully over the years. We can only hope that moderate voices become the strongest on both sides and a path to long term peace is chosen by all.

Interested that it's all of Israel has behaved badly, but not all of Palestine, only Hamas.

There is no such country as Palestine yet, that's kind of a central part of the years long conflict. Hopefully, if like I said moderate voices become the norm Palestine will be realised.

Maybe there needs to be a word that encompasses the Israeli government and Israeli settler extremists? I know some people try and use zionist but that is frowned upon, maybe there is a word and I just don't know it?

It's not blaming the whole of Israel.

Whilst this is great news, I'm sceptical about how long it will last. Ramadan begins at the end of next month I think and for as long as I can remember Israel use that time to go on an offensive attack as they know there are lots of Muslims contrasting for prayers etc. I've seen it reported year on year for at least the last 10 years. I hope and pray peace prevails.

Using Zionist as a way to describe the Netanyahu govt is not “frowned upon” it’s incorrect. Zionism simply is the belief in a Jewish homeland, many zionists do not believe in the destruction of Palestine. Netanyahu and his ilk are extremists.

You remember that the Hamas attack coincided with the Jewish religious holiday Simchat Torah?

Worldwide efforts are going to be needed to rebuild the homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in Gaza so that they can try and restart their economy and lives. It can’t continue with the population being prisoners within Gaza without free movement .

So Israelis voted in an extremist government to represent them in your opinion? So instead of saying Israel and Hamas I should have said Israeli extremists and Hamas have behaved dreadfully over the years?

Usually I would say the US have supplied arms to Israel for example, I don't mean everyone in the entire country has personally supplied arms to Israel(or should I say Israeli extremists?? ) and people don't usually take it to mean that either, they know that it is the government that is being referred to. Or if I said the US behaved dreadfully in their 'war on terror' people don't take that to mean every single person in the US. Do you think that it important to make an exception in Israels case and say Israeli extremists rather than Israel?

It's more that you named 'Israel' and 'Hamas' rather than the 'Israeli government' and 'Hamas', seeming to imply 'the whole of Israel', but 'just Hamas'

Let's hope the new administration in Gaza prioritizes homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals over tunnels and bombs.

That’s a good point, especially as the current Israeli government is made up of a coalition, which included extremist parties with their own set of demands. That’s the problem with a proportional representation style parliament, mainstream parties are unable to form a majority in many cases.

Oh OK. I hope I cleared that up by explaining that Palestine not a country

Homes , Businesses , schools and hospitals existed before 7-10

they don’t exist anymore as Israel has destroyed them

Perhaps their leaders should have built shelters for their people and constructed their facilities to withstand the inevitable repercussions of their raid on Israel and the constant rocket attacks.

Completely pointless , this is exactly what they’ve been doing for donkey years, loads of people dead, loads of people displaced, Hamas still in control . Give it couple of years and will start again

Not really, no, you're still blaming 'Hamas' and 'Israel' rather than 'Hamas' and the 'Israeli government'.

But you knew that.

The Zionist Platform- aka the Jerusalem Program- would disagree with you. It is far more than a simple belief in a Jewish homeland. This tenant could require the ethnic cleansing of Palestine:

Settling the country as an expression of practical Zionism.

“country” is earlier referred to as “Eretz Yisrael”, which translates to Greater Israel which encompasses, at a minimum, all of the current Palestinian Territories and in other more extreme map drawing Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and parts of Egypt and Iraq.

https://www.wzo.org.il/page/about/jerusalem-program/en

Perhaps Israel shouldn't commit a genocide and indiscriminately target civilians.