"Ameen al-Zein, like many in Gaza, was overjoyed by the news of the ceasefire. It was a rare moment of relief after years of fear and loss. On Tuesday night he gave an interview to a local NGO urging people to return to their homes in northern Gaza now that fighting had stopped. Just half an hour later, Zein was dead, killed in an Israeli bombing on the school where he had been sheltering in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza."
"Zein was one of 115 people killed and 352 injured during 24 hours of Israeli bombardment of Gaza this week, according to the Gaza health ministry. The strikes came after Hamas returned body parts of a hostage whose remains Israeli troops had recovered two years before, and Palestinian militants attacked Israeli troops in southern Gaza. It was the deadliest day in Gaza since the ceasefire was put in place on 10 October and one of the deadliest days in the whole of the two-year war."
"The bombings were just the latest in a series of Israeli violations of the three-week-long ceasefire in Gaza. After the initial enthusiasm over the ceasefire announcement, worry has set in among the people of Gaza. They are fearful that the ceasefire does not mean an end to the war but just less frequent and more random bursts of violence they are unable to predict. That randomness makes their own futures hard to imagine, much less to plan."
Ceasefire news brought brief jubilation in Gaza, prompting residents such as Ameen al-Zein to urge returns to northern homes and to hope for peace. Shortly after encouraging others, Zein was killed in an Israeli bombing while sheltering in a Beit Lahia school. Israeli strikes over 24 hours killed 115 people and wounded 352, according to the Gaza health ministry. The strikes followed militants' actions including returning remains and attacks on Israeli troops. The incidents marked the deadliest day since the ceasefire began on 10 October. Repeated ceasefire violations have generated fear, unpredictability, and difficulty planning daily life for displaced civilians.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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