- Title: Tenuous truce in Gaza as Islamic Jihad, Israel differ on terms
- Date: 14th November 2019
- Summary: DIR AL BALAH, GAZA (NOVEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CRATER IN GROUND WHERE ISRAELI STRIKE KILLED RASMI ABU MALHOUS, WHO ISRAEL IDENTIFIED AS AN ISLAMIC JIHAD COMMANDER OF ROCKET CREWS, AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FALAH HAMDA, RESIDENT, SAYING: "This is a big crime, if they have a problem with these kids or the women, that's a crime, who will be accountable for it? Only God can decide, don't tell me Arab, foreign or European countries, only God will decide who is accountable. It is a crime, a catastrophe, children, the oldest is 14 years old." CHILDREN AROUND CRATER VARIOUS OF AFTERMATH AMBULANCE NEAR HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF FAMILY MEMBERS BODIES IN MORGUE GAZA CITY, GAZA (NOVEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) ROCKET LAUNCHING FROM GAZA TOWARDS ISRAEL AFTER CEASEFIRE CARS DRIVING PEOPLE IN STREET WOMAN CARRYING CHILD PEOPLE IN MARKETPLACE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOHAMMED AL-SIMIRI, GAZA RESIDENT, SAYING: "The retaliation was good, our blood was not spilled in vain. About the truce, we don't want our people to suffer more, because we are already under a tough siege." MORE OF MARKETPLACE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ADEL RAJAB, GAZA RESIDENT, SAYING: "It is an unbalanced fight, we didn't achieve much. When they kill 50 martyrs and cause a lot of destruction, what did we achieve? But what I can tell you is that we retaliated as much as we can, our reaction is that we are a people who will never be silent about its rights and will never be silent when it's being struck. We hope that we will have more (abilities) to retaliate in a shocking way and then a truce will not be reached until we will achieve victory and freedom." VARIOUS OF MARKETPLACE ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER AREA SDEROT, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) PEOPLE IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ALON DAVIDI, MAYOR OF SDEROT, SAYING "The state of Israel can target terrorists. It is not a question of ability, it is a question of will. For two years we have been talking about the need to target these terrorists who are roaming free and firing at us and I'm glad the state of Israel did it. The second thing is that this will not bring calm to the area. Calm in the region will be achieved only after the state of Israel will embark on a wide-scale campaign, as it did during (operation) 'Protective Edge', after which this calm was maintained for over three and a half years."" MAN DISTRIBUTING NEWSPAPERS IN STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) MEIR BEN ZIKRI, SDEROT RESIDENT, SAYING: "In a week from now, in two weeks, in maximum a month, we will get back to the routine of Qassam rockets, running to shelters, children in fear. And? With all the desire for a ceasefire, I'm not so happy." ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL (NOVEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) MORE OF BORDER AREA
- Embargoed: 28th November 2019 09:49
- Keywords: Israel Palestinians Gaza truce ceasefire rockets violence
- Location: DIR AL BALAH, GAZA CITY, GAZA/ SDEROT, ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL
- City: DIR AL BALAH, GAZA CITY, GAZA/ SDEROT, ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER, ISRAEL
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001B5ICE2V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad and Israel declared a halt to hostilities across the Gaza Strip border on Thursday (November 14) but a lasting ceasefire appeared tenuous as they differed on terms.
Islamic Jihad said an Egyptian-mediated truce went into effect at 0330 GMT, about 48 hours after Israel triggered the exchange of fire by killing the Iranian-backed faction's top Gaza commander in an air strike, deeming him an imminent threat.
A few hours' calm ensued. Then witnesses in Gaza saw five rockets being launched, and sirens sounded in Israeli border towns. There was no word of casualties. Israel's military said two rockets were shot down by its Iron Dome air defence system.
Gaza medical officials have put the total death toll from the two days of fighting at 34 Palestinians, almost half of them civilians and including eight children and three women.
On the other side of the Gaza border hundreds of rocket launches by militants paralysed much of southern Israel, injuring dozens of people.
Hamas, Gaza's dominant faction, appeared to have stayed out of this round of fighting. That may have helped stem escalation.
(Production: Fadi Shana, Bassam Masoud, Arafat Barbakh, Ran Tzabari, Nihad Khalil, Ead Barbakh, Rinat Harash) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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