Israel and Hamas both claim victory after ceasefire
Israeli police have clashed with Palestinian worshippers at a holy site in East Jerusalem, hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas came into effect.
A statement released by Israel’s police force says a riot broke out as soon as Friday prayers ended, with hundreds of young people throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at officers stationed at a nearby entrance.
Footage released on social media showed Israeli police storming al-Aqsa Mosque – firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets into crowds of Palestinian worshippers. At least 10 Palestinians were wounded in the clash.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has brought 11 days of intense fighting to an end. The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, confirmed the ceasefire and the security cabinet called the truce “mutual and unconditional”.
The mayors of Sderot and Ashkelon – two of the towns hardest hit by rockets from Gaza – have criticised the ceasefire, saying that Hamas should have been eliminated.
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children. On the Israeli side, 12 people, including two children, were killed.
Both sides are claiming victory. According to the BBC, a senior Hamas leader told the corporation that Israel had promised to “lift their hand off Sheikh Jarrah and Al-Aqsa Mosque”. He was referring to one of Islam’s holiest mosques and the Jerusalem district which became a flashpoint during an attempt to evict Palestinian families from their homes.
Netanyahu also hailed Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza as “an exceptional success” and warned Hamas rulers against any further rocket attacks following a ceasefire. He said the bombardment destroyed Hamas’s underground tunnel network and hit the militant group’s capability to launch rockets towards Israeli towns and cities.
In a speech hours after the truce took effect, he said: “If Hamas thinks we will tolerate a drizzle of rockets, it is wrong.” He vowed to respond with “a new level of force against any expression of aggression against communities around Gaza and any other parts of Israel.”
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, urged Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers to observe the ceasefire and called on global leaders to develop a reconstruction package “that supports the Palestinian people and strengthens their institutions”.
Guterres said the UN was ready to work with Israel, the Palestinians and others to return to “meaningful negotiations” on a two-state settlement based on territorial lines before the 1967 war. He said: “Israeli and Palestinian leaders have a responsibility beyond the restoration of calm to start a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict.”