GAZA CRISIS | Ceasefire holds as sides weigh gains 

Palestinians chant slogans as they gather to celebrate the cease-fire in Gaza City

An open-ended ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip was holding yesterday, as many people on both sides of the conflict wondered what was gained during 50 days of fighting.
The Gaza war — the third round of fighting since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007 — left more than 2,200 people dead, caused widespread destruction in the densely populated coastal territory and paralyzed large parts of southern Israel during much of the summer.
After more than seven weeks of fighting, the two sides settled for an ambiguous interim agreement in exchange for a period of calm. Hamas, though badly battered, remains in control of Gaza with part of its military arsenal intact. Israel and Egypt will maintain a blockade tightened seven years ago, despite Hamas’ long-running demand that the border restrictions be lifted.
Yesterday, the Israeli military said there were no reports of violations since the ceasefire went into effect Tuesday.
Hamas declared victory, even though it had little to show for a war that killed 2,143 Palestinians, wounded more than 11,000 and left some 100,000 homeless. On the Israeli side, 64 soldiers and six civilians were killed, including two by Palestinian mortar fire shortly before the cease-fire was announced.
Thousands of residents of southern Israeli communities in range of Hamas rocket and mortar fire fled their homes in favor of safer areas as criticism grew over the government’s conduct of the war.
Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had deliberately not put the ceasefire to a vote in his security Cabinet because of opposition from ministers who wanted to continue the fighting.
Tourism Minister Uzi Landau, a longstanding security hawk, lambasted the Israeli leadership in comments to Israel Radio early yesterday for “wanting peace at any price,” an approach that he said would undermine Israel’s ability to deter militants.
In Gaza, life was slowly returning to normal yesterday, as traffic policemen took up their positions in streets overwhelmed by vehicles transporting thousands of people back to the homes they had abandoned during the fighting. Harried utility crews struggled to repair electricity and water infrastructure damaged by weeks of Israeli airstrikes.
“We are going back today,” said farmer Radwan al-Sultan, 42, as he and some of his seven children used an overloaded three-wheeled tuk-tuk to return to their home in the hard-hit northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya. “Finally we will enjoy our home sweet home again.”
While tens of thousands of Gazans dutifully heeded Hamas calls to flood the streets of Gaza City and other Gaza communities late Tuesday night, many appeared to be more interested in enjoying their freedom from Israeli air and artillery strikes rather than participating in any kind of victory celebration.
In the last 72 hours of the war, Israel had extended its attacks from crowded working class neighborhoods where support for Hamas is strong to high-rise residential structures in a number of less militant areas, in a possible attempt to leverage middle class opinion to pressure the group to accept a cease-fire agreement more or less on Israel’s terms.
In comments to The Associated Press, a senior Israeli intelligence official said he had no doubt that the strikes on the high-rise buildings “created big pressure” on Hamas to accept the cease-fire. AP

Peter Enav and Ibrahim Barzak,
Jerusalem