Gaza Truce Enters Second Day
Source: Al-Manar TV, 20-06-2008
Gaza residents looked forward to a first weekend of calm after months of bloodshed in the impoverished Palestinian enclave as a truce with ‘Israel' entered its second day on Friday.
Across the border, ‘Israeli' public opinion appeared to rally behind the Egyptian-brokered truce though there was still deep skepticism on both sides (‘Israel' - Hamas) over its duration.
Early Friday, families and young men with towels over their shoulders headed to the beaches of Gaza City, where children flew kites in the stiff breeze. After months of almost daily attacks by ‘Israeli' forces, the truce brought welcome respite to the Gaza Strip, a vastly overpopulated sliver of coastal land where a tight blockade has accentuated poverty and left a vast majority of the 1.5 million population reliant on outside help.
In occupied territories, an opinion poll showed 56 percent were in favor of the truce, while 39 percent opposed it.
At the same time, 79 percent do not believe or tend not to believe the truce will last, according to the survey published by the Yediot Aharonot daily.
The six-month truce is the first since Hamas seized power in Gaza just over a year ago.
Both Hamas and ‘Israel' have vowed to respect the truce while expressing doubts the other side would, and ‘Israeli' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made it clear the armed forces were prepared to act should the ceasefire fails.
At the same time, military officials said ‘Israeli' troops along the Gaza border received new rules of engagement under which they can only open fire if their lives are at risk or if they witness preparations for an imminent attack.
The truce deal was concluded after months of indirect, Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Hamas and ‘Israel', which had been mulling a wider military offensive in Gaza in a bid to halt rocket fire.
In addition to ‘Israel' halting its military strikes in Gaza and Palestinian fighters stopping their rocket and mortar fire, the deal also entails a gradual easing of ‘Israel's' blockade.
‘Israeli' authorities said this should start on Sunday with an increase of goods allowed into the Strip.
But they made it clear an opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the only one that bypasses Egypt, would depend on the fate of captured ‘Israeli' soldier Gilad Shalit. Olmert is due to hold talks with President Hosni Mubarak next week in Egypt, where his envoy, Ofer Dekel, will resume talks on a proposed prisoner swap with Hamas, which would involve Shalit.
Gaza residents looked forward to a first weekend of calm after months of bloodshed in the impoverished Palestinian enclave as a truce with ‘Israel' entered its second day on Friday.
Across the border, ‘Israeli' public opinion appeared to rally behind the Egyptian-brokered truce though there was still deep skepticism on both sides (‘Israel' - Hamas) over its duration.
Early Friday, families and young men with towels over their shoulders headed to the beaches of Gaza City, where children flew kites in the stiff breeze. After months of almost daily attacks by ‘Israeli' forces, the truce brought welcome respite to the Gaza Strip, a vastly overpopulated sliver of coastal land where a tight blockade has accentuated poverty and left a vast majority of the 1.5 million population reliant on outside help.
In occupied territories, an opinion poll showed 56 percent were in favor of the truce, while 39 percent opposed it.
At the same time, 79 percent do not believe or tend not to believe the truce will last, according to the survey published by the Yediot Aharonot daily.
The six-month truce is the first since Hamas seized power in Gaza just over a year ago.
Both Hamas and ‘Israel' have vowed to respect the truce while expressing doubts the other side would, and ‘Israeli' Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made it clear the armed forces were prepared to act should the ceasefire fails.
At the same time, military officials said ‘Israeli' troops along the Gaza border received new rules of engagement under which they can only open fire if their lives are at risk or if they witness preparations for an imminent attack.
The truce deal was concluded after months of indirect, Egyptian-brokered negotiations between Hamas and ‘Israel', which had been mulling a wider military offensive in Gaza in a bid to halt rocket fire.
In addition to ‘Israel' halting its military strikes in Gaza and Palestinian fighters stopping their rocket and mortar fire, the deal also entails a gradual easing of ‘Israel's' blockade.
‘Israeli' authorities said this should start on Sunday with an increase of goods allowed into the Strip.
But they made it clear an opening of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the only one that bypasses Egypt, would depend on the fate of captured ‘Israeli' soldier Gilad Shalit. Olmert is due to hold talks with President Hosni Mubarak next week in Egypt, where his envoy, Ofer Dekel, will resume talks on a proposed prisoner swap with Hamas, which would involve Shalit.
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