Gaza bearing cost of strikes as truce holds with Israel

Shell-shocked Gazans on Monday sifted through the rubble of three days of deadly strikes by Israel as a truce held with the Islamic Jihad and life slowly returned to normal with power restored.

A ceasefire reached late on Sunday has raised hopes of ending the intense attacks that killed 44 people according to Gaza’s health ministry, with 15 children among the dead.

The sole power plant in the blockaded enclave “started working to generate electricity” after a two-day shutdown, distributor spokesman Mohammed Thabet told AFP, hours after fuel trucks for the plant entered Gaza.

The power shutdown on Saturday had sparked concern about the impact on hospitals treating casualties and on other vital services, amid the worst fighting in Gaza since an 11-day war last year.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the ceasefire and thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for his country’s role in brokering it.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s office late on Sunday thanked “Egypt for its efforts” as it agreed to the truce, but said that “if the ceasefire is violated”, Israel “maintains the right to respond strongly”.

Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed group, also accepted the truce but said it too “reserves the right to respond” to any aggression.

Tehran said it will always “defend the active resistance”.
Starting on Friday, Israel had launched a heavy aerial and artillery bombardment of Islamic Jihad positions in Gaza, leading the group’s members to fire hundreds of rockets in retaliation.

In addition to those killed, Gazan health officials said 360 people were wounded in the Palestinian enclave Three people in Israel were wounded by shrapnel, while 31 others were lightly hurt while running for safety, emergency services said.