Celebratory Gunfire marks Israel and Gaza Ceasefire

A truce has been reached between Israel and Hamas, ending a week of fighting which cost the lives of at least 155 Palestinians and five Israelis.

The violence between Israel and Gaza flared after Israeli drones targeted and killed a Hamas military chief on November 14, marking the start of cross-border exchange of fire. Gaza militants fired rockets into Israel, which bombarded Gaza from land, air and sea.

According to the ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, Israel will stop all hostilities against Gaza, which will end “rocket attacks and all attacks along the border.” If this truce holds for the next 24 hours, Israel would have to start procedures to end the Gaza blockade by opening border crossings and allowing the movement of people and goods.

Online, anticipation has been building up for the declaration of a ceasefire.

Andy Carvin notes:

@acarvin: Apart from new year's, I don't think I've ever seen so many people tweet what time it is. #gaza #ceasefire

While Iyad El_Baghdadi remarks:


@iyad_elbaghdadi
: 9:08 local time, explosions still being heard in #Gaza, sirens still being sounded in #Israel.

Boys race through Gaza City celebrating the ceasefire

Boys race through Gaza City celebrating the ceasefire. Photograph shared by @ChrisMcGreal on Twitter


Soon, the sound of celebratory gunfire filled the air in Gaza.

On Audioboo, BBC Middle East Bureau Chief Paul Danahar, who is in Gaza, shares a sound track:

Nayef describes the scene:


@TheNElectric:
Gaza streets are full of celebrations. Satisfaction, pride & glory are drawn all over Gazans faces

While Majed Abusalama notes:

@MajedAbusalama: We do not trust #Israel but we can enjoy this moment of #Peace. in #Gaza people are so strong, I really #love them. #resistance

Who won?

Egyptian Mostafa Hussein jokes:

@moftasa: Congratulations Bibi. You made Khamas stronger.

[Bibi is Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu and Khamas is the way many Israelis pronounce Hamas]

Shadi Hamid tweets:

@shadihamid: So Hamas got: greater regional legitimacy, spike in popularity, end of assassinations, easing flow of goods into Gaza & a weaker PA to boot.

He continues:

@shadihamid: In asymmetric battles such as this one, it's very hard for a group like Hamas to ever actually “lose,” as long as it survives.

Israeli Elizabeth Tsurkov says:

@Elizabeth: Bibi kept talking about weakening Hamas and removing them from power for years, and this agreement solidifies their rule

Lauren E. Bohn, who is in Jerusalem, adds:


@LaurenBohn:
Talking to handful of #Israel analysts who all say #Hamas came out of this a winner: more international recognition + credibility #Gaza

And journalist Gregg Carlstrom tweets:

@glcarlstrom: My Twitter feed variously informs me that the real winners today are Israel, Hamas, Egypt, the US and Iran. (but everyone agrees Abbas lost)


Praise for Egypt

On Twitter, Palestinians heaped praise on Egypt, for its role in mediating a ceasefire.

Yaser Alzaatreh writes [ar]:

مصر رئيسا وحكومة وشعبا كانت معنا. وقفت دون تردد. صرخ الصهاينة ألما من وقفتها. عادت مصر إلينا وعدنا إليها، فهي قائدة العرب وعنوان عزتهم.


@YZaatreh
: Egypt, its President and people, were with us. They did not hesitate in supporting us. Their stance hurt the Zionists. Egypt has returned to us and we have returned to it. Egypt is the leader of Arabs and the sign of their pride.

And, from Gaza, Ola Anan adds:

من كل قلبي .. شكرا مصر :)

@olanan: From the bottom of my heart, thank you Egypt!!

What next?

For many, the ceasefire is a welcome relief.

Karen Knox, from Tel Aviv, tweets:

@KarenAbroad: So thankful for #ceasefire tonight as I tuck my little girl into bed here in #TelAviv.

But many are left wondering how long the peace between Gaza and Israel will last for.

Palestinian Hasan Karajah says:

البعض سيذهبون لشرب نخب الانتصار بعد تعبهم في كتابة التغريدات و رجال المقاومة يكونوا في اجتماع الان لوضع خطة الضرب القادمة #المقاومة_مستمرة

@hasankarajah: Some will go to drink to victory after they got exhausted from writing tweets but the men of the resistance movement will be meeting now to draw up a plan for the next strike. The resistance continues.

And, from Israel, Tsurkov adds:

@Elizrael: In 20min the post on Bibi's official fb page on the cease-fire got 1,344 responses. Overwhelming majority is negative http://on.fb.me/TcsAc1

4 comments

  • […] The people in Gaza celebrated it how? Exactly: with celebratory gunfire. […]

  • My Dearest
    Brothers and Sisters,

    There is
    much strife and seeming complexity regarding peace and brotherhood among all of
    us in the world. There are many, who believe they have the right answer and are
    militant to impose their “right” answer on all. They seem to forget the
    earliest message of our holy scriptures, whether the Koran, the Bible or the
    Thora, namely that each of us, within our hearts, have been provided with the
    spirit and love of the Father of us all. This was revealed to our common
    earthly father, Adam, who understood this in his heart before the writing of any
    scripture. Each of us have access to this fundamental truth, whether Muslim,
    Christian, Jew and also our fellow human beings, who have not had the good and fortunate
    access to the teachings. When we pray, we pray to our Father, present and
    living within in hearts of each of us. The secret to the peace and brotherhood
    we all yearn for is to see the presence of our Father in each of us and to love
    each other as our Father loves us. Within this context, the actions required to
    address the problems of our contemporary times will not seem insurmountable.

    “We have sent by inspiration to you as We commended
    to Abraham, Moses and Jesus, namely that you should be steadfast in religion
    and make no divisions therein… Allah is our Lord and your Lord… there is no
    contention between us and you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is our Homecoming.”
    (Sura 42.13 – 15)

    My access
    to our Father is through the Christian teaching, neither less nor more
    important than the teachings of Abraham or Mohammad. It is the Christmas
    season, a time when Christians celebrate the love of the Father for and within
    us all. I give you the following teaching of the Apostle Paul and invite you,
    whether Muslim, Christian, Jew or a brother seeking access to our Father, to
    live this teaching within your life:

    “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,
    but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and
    all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have
    love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor
    and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I
    gain nothing.

    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
    envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not
    dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
    record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
    rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always
    trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

    From Love
    and Brotherhood,

    Erik Hesse

  • […] Nov – Celebratory Gunfire marks Israel and Gaza Ceasefire 21 Nov – Bus Explodes in Central Tel Aviv Hours Before Ceasefire 20 Nov – In Case of Disconnection: […]

Join the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.