Palestinians celebrate victory following the ceasefire with Israeli Occupation

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the Palestinian territories poured onto the streets to celebrate the ceasefire, waving flags and flashing ‘V’ signs for victory.

‘This is the first time the Sword of Jerusalem [Palestinian resistance] gave the Israeli Occupation no option but to agree to a ceasefire,’ was what many Palestinians were saying.

GAZA CITY, GAZA – MAY 21: Palestinians take the streets after “mutual and simultaneous” cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas reached with Egypt mediation took effect at 2 a.m. Friday (2300GMT Thursday), ending the 11-day conflict, in Gaza City, Gaza on May 21, 2021. ( Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency )

The Jerusalemites, who gathered following Fajr prayers, chanted for the resistance and Gaza, and the leader of Al-Qassam Brigades, Muhammad Al-Deif.

Palestinian resistance factions called the ceasefire a “victory,” as they praised God and broadcasted it through mosque loudspeakers.

In a majestic scene, Jerusalemites entered Al-Aqsa Mosque, performed prayers and celebrated after.

In Gaza, a reporter said, “Thousands of people went into the street to celebrate.”

According to AFP, a senior member of Hamas, Khalil Al-Hayya said, “this is the euphoria of victory,” while promising to reconstruct the homes destroyed by Israeli Occupation raids.

Late Thursday, Palestinian resistance and Israel have announced a ceasefire after 11 days of fighting.

Israel’s security cabinet on Thursday said it voted unanimously in favour of a “mutual and unconditional” Gaza truce proposed by mediator Egypt, but added that the hour of implementation had yet to be agreed upon.

The development came amid growing global alarm about the bloodshed, with US President Joe Biden urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek de-escalation, and mediation bids by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations.

Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had ordered two security delegations into Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to work towards upholding the ceasefire, Egyptian state TV reported.

The truce would bring to an end some of the fiercest fighting since 2014, which has caused widespread destruction in Gaza and halted much of daily life in Israel.

Ali Barakeh, a member of Hamas’s Arab and Islamic relations bureau, told The Associated Press news agency that the declaration was a defeat for Netanyahu and “a victory to the Palestinian people”.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel had resumed its bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, and Hamas and allied PIJ had resumed rocket attacks after an eight-hour pause.

Health officials in Gaza said 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, were killed and more than 1,900 wounded since the violence erupted on May 10. Israel has said it has killed at least 160 combatants in Gaza, without providing evidence. Hamas and PIJ said at least 20 of their fighters have been killed.

The violence was triggered by an Israeli police crackdown on protesters at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on May 10, following weeks of tensions in the city caused by the planned forced expulsion of several Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

After Israel missed a Hamas deadline to withdraw its forces from the holy site, which is sacred to Muslims and Jews, the Palestinian group fired several rockets towards Jerusalem for the first time in years. Shortly afterwards, Israel launched air raids on Gaza.