As the 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and Hamas holds, concern is turning to the civilian population of Gaza.
“Now we must help rehabilitate Gaza … we are doing everything we can to send them food … We are entering a difficult period of aid and rehabilitation; we will help, not out of any strategic considerations, but from humanitarian ones,” IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz was quoted as saying by Channel 10,
Israel is facilitating the transfer of foreign aid to Gaza. Two planeloads of aid are due, one from Italy and one from the USA, carrying medicine and medical equipment.
Daily newspaper Haaretz quoted a senior officer from the Defence Ministry saying that, “The reality in Gaza – both civilian and economic – is very, very bad. We are closely monitoring the humanitarian situation to ensure it does not reach a crisis point.”
Israel has increased the amount of aid entering Gaza. Over the conflict, Israel supplied 1,856 trucks of humanitarian aid supplied to Gaza, carrying 40,550 tons of food and supplies.
Israel Electric Corp. begins repairing power grids for Gaza residents
On Tuesday, Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) employees of the Be'er Sheva district, as instructed by the political echelon and authorized by the IDF, began working near the border with the Gaza Strip to repair the power grids that were damaged due to rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.
Repairing the lines that deliver electricity to Gaza requires very meticulous and complex work, under difficult working conditions. IDF soldiers are guarding the IEC employees with tanks and APCs.
IEC provides 120 megawatts of electricity to Gaza on 10 high voltage lines. Most of the power lines were damaged due to rocket fire.
During the conflict, Israeli efforts to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza were frequently blocked by Hamas. Hamas refused to accept blood donated by Israeli citizens, only changing its mind this week.
Most ambulances in Gaza refused to take Palestinian civilians to the field hospital set up by the IDF at the Erez crossing point, leaving it nearly empty throughout the conflict.
One day into the 72-hour ceasefire, there was complete quiet in Israel and Gaza as neither side was accused of violating the truce.
Palestinians continued to return to their homes throughout the day, as the IDF relieved thousands of reservists. Summer holiday camps were allowed to restart in southern Israel, in a sign that the Israeli government expects the ceasefire to hold beyond the current 72-hour window.
Meanwhile, an Israeli negotiating team left for Cairo, including senior Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molcho and defence official Amos Gilad, as several Hamas and Islamic Jihad representatives left Cairo and returned to Gaza.
The official list of Palestinian demands for a lasting ceasefire include a complete opening of Gaza’s borders, the construction of a seaport and airport, payment of Hamas members on the public payroll and the release of prisoners. However, Egypt has reportedly turned down some of these demands – such as the ports and opening Rafah – before presenting them to the Israeli team. Israel seeks the return of Gaza to Palestinian Authority (PA) control and disarmament of Gaza’s terrorist groups. Israel wants reconstruction and border crossings to happen under some form of international supervision in cooperation with the PA.
Egypt is reportedly seeking a two-day extension to the current ceasefire. Most sources report that Hamas is not eager to return to hostilities once the current truce expires.
The official list of Palestinian demands for a lasting ceasefire include a complete opening of Gaza’s borders, the construction of a seaport and airport, payment of Hamas members on the public payroll and the release of prisoners.
However, Egypt has reportedly turned down some of these demands – such as the ports and opening Rafah – before presenting them to the Israeli team.
Israel seeks the return of Gaza to Palestinian Authority (PA) control and disarmament of Gaza’s terrorist groups. Israel wants reconstruction and border crossings to happen under some form of international supervision in cooperation with the PA.
Meanwhile, journalists leaving Gaza have begun to file reports about Hamas rocket fire from civilian areas. India’s NDTV filmed a rocket launcher being buried and hidden next to a hotel full of international journalists. The rocket was launched the next day.
France 24 showed the location of a rocket launcher in a civilian area next to a UN facility. Both of these reports were old but were only released once the journalists felt safe from Hamas retaliation.
During Operation Protective Edge, IDF forces in the Gaza Strip found a Hamas manual on “Urban Warfare,” which belonged to the Shuja’iya Brigade of Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
The manual explains how the civilian population can be used against IDF forces and reveals that Hamas knows the IDF is committed to minimizing harm to civilians.
Throughout the operation, Hamas has continuously used the civilian population of Gaza as human shields.
The discovery of a Hamas “urban warfare” manual by IDF forces reveals that Hamas’ callous use of the Gazan population was intentional and preplanned.