AN Egypt-mediated 72 hour ceasefire has been announced in Gaza. Israel has pulled out its forces from Gaza. Hamas said it would engage in talks to arrive at a peace settlement. What throws doubt on the prospects is the Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad-al-Maliki’s accusation that Israel has committed war crimes. Gaza officials say that 1834 Palestinians have died in the conflict, most of them civilians. Israel claims that 64 of its soldier and 3 civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8. Israel has completed the destruction of about 32 tunnels built by Hamas into Israel and 900 militants are said to have been killed in combat. More than 3000 rockets belonging to Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, have reportedly been destroyed. Israel, however, remains ready to respond to attacks on its civilians or armed forces. Previous ceasefires had collapsed.
On the other hand, Hamas and Islamic Jihad appear to be inclined to cry halt to the hostilities. They have accepted an Egyptian proposal though they had rejected a similar proposal by the US earlier. Talks may begin in Cairo depending on how the 72 hour ceasefire works out. Gaza is in terrible chaos. There have been casualties of a great number. Besides, the area’s infrastructure including electricity, water and sewage systems have been seriously damaged. The UN has estimated that 260 thousands out of a total of 1.8 million population in Gaza have been displaced. It is hoped that the Cairo talks will take place soon and the fighting will not begin again. If not, the UN should immediately intervene to restore peace in Israel and Palestine. Already, the fighting has caused much concern in other countries with political and economic ties with the two of them. India has already declared its support to Palestine which is one of its old allies.
