Ceasefire in Gaza comes into force – and lasts
“Islamic Jihad bears no social responsibility for the population”
The military resistance against Israel is the only raison d’être for Islamic Jihad, says WELT correspondent Christine Kensche. She explains what is important for the current ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians to hold.
After days of heavy fighting, Israel and militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have agreed on a ceasefire. This came into force on Sunday evening, as Israel and the Islamic Jihad group involved on the Palestinian side announced separately.
Dhe ceasefire between Israel and the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip initially held at the beginning of the week. However, Israel reserved the right to “resolutely respond” in the event of a violation of the cease-fire, while Islamic Jihad also declared its readiness to respond to “any aggression”. Meanwhile, Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip reopened Monday, allowing the only power plant on the narrow stretch of coastline to resume operation.
A spokesman for the fuel distribution company confirmed to the AFP news agency that the diesel-powered power plant had started producing electricity again after a two-day break. In the morning, trucks with fuel had crossed the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
Israel had already closed two border crossings to the Gaza Strip before the latest escalation. The chief hospital director in the Gaza Strip had warned at the weekend of a “medical crisis” if no drugs or fuel entered the Gaza Strip within a few days.
Israel also announced on Monday that it would resume train services in the Gaza border area and lifted the requirement for citizens on the Israeli side of the border to stay in shelters. According to the Israeli military, the roads in the border area have gradually been reopened.
Israel had been bombing targets of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip since Friday. According to Palestinian sources, 44 people were killed and 360 others injured. In response to the airstrikes, Islamic Jihad fired hundreds of rockets towards Israel.
Federal government welcomes the ceasefire
On Sunday, Israel and Islamic Jihad, mediated by Egypt, agreed on the ceasefire, which came into effect at 11:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. CEST). US President Joe Biden welcomed the ceasefire and thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the successful mediation. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid also thanked Cairo.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office said on Monday in Berlin that the federal government “expressly” thanks Egypt and is “relieved” about the ceasefire. The government welcomes the fact that, according to knowledge, it has held up so far. This is now particularly important against the background of the “already very difficult humanitarian situation”.
Lapid justified the attacks that began on Friday by defending against an “imminent threat”. The Israeli government had spoken of plans for revenge by Islamic Jihad after Israel arrested one of the movement’s leaders, Bassem al-Saadi, on August 1 in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Lapid described Islamic Jihad as an “Auxiliary Force of Iran” that aims to “destroy the State of Israel and kill innocent Israelis.” According to the Israeli army, their attacks hit 139 positions of jihadi fighters. The entire top of Islamic Jihad’s military wing in the Gaza Strip has been “neutralized.”
The recent escalation of violence was the most violent in the Gaza Strip since May last year. The radical Islamic Hamas, which has ruled in the Gaza Strip since 2007, fired rockets in the direction of Israel at the time, prompting the Israeli air force to bomb targets in the Gaza Strip. During the 11-day fighting, more than 260 people were killed in the Gaza Strip and 13 in Israel.