The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has entered its 51st day coinciding with the third day of the temporary humanitarian ceasefire during which the air strikes have stopped but the Israeli violations continue with gunfire in the eastern outskirts and the hovering of reconnaissance aircraft. The release of the third batch of prisoners is also anticipated as part of the partial exchange deal.
The PIC correspondent reported that the residents of the Gaza Strip spent a second night without aerial and artillery bombardment and without clear warplane activity after experiencing moments of anticipation and anxiety on Saturday evening due to the possibility of the ceasefire collapsing as a result of the Israeli violations which prompted the Al-Qassam Brigades to announce a delay in the release of the second batch of prisoners.
As happened yesterday the majority of displaced citizens from the southern and central districts of Gaza spent the night in their homes or near their destroyed homes while hundreds of thousands of displaced people from Gaza and its northern provinces remained in shelter centers.
Palestinian human rights organizations have confirmed that with the temporary ceasefire some of the massive destruction caused by the Israeli war machine in houses civilian properties and infrastructure is being revealed. Meanwhile the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the aggression and the intensified blockade since the beginning of the aggression continue.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights Al-Mezan Center and Al-Haq Foundation stated in a joint statement that the initial observations of the areas their teams were able to visit in the targeted neighborhoods in southern and central Gaza along with the photos and videos they managed to obtain reflect an unprecedented level of systematic destruction that has also affected many historical and heritage landmarks in Gaza in addition to educational institutions.
They pointed out that observations in the town of Khuza’a east of Khan Younis for example revealed extensive destruction of houses mosques and streets and this was repeated in many areas where entire residential communities disappeared.
Video clips documented by citizens and journalists in the city of Gaza and towns in the northern province including areas where Israeli forces penetrated and are still stationed showed extremely widespread destruction that clearly indicated its aim was not related to military operations in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality according to the statement.
Recovering the bodies of martyrs
Medical teams recovered the bodies of many martyrs some of which were decomposed in several areas of the Gaza Strip on the second day of the temporary humanitarian ceasefire.
Local sources reported that ambulance crews recovered the bodies of martyrs from under the rubble of destroyed houses in the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City.
The sources indicated that a large portion of the bodies found were decomposed due to being left in the streets for days without burial as a result of the Israeli aggression.
List of prisoners to be released on Sunday
Meanwhile the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Tel Aviv has received the list of detainees expected to be released on Sunday as part of the exchange deal between Tel Aviv and the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas.
Netanyahu’s office stated early on Sunday that Israel has received the list and the information has been conveyed to their families according to Hebrew newspapers.
Qatar announced yesterday Saturday the success of mediation efforts in overcoming the obstacles to the release of the second batch of prisoners in the exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari announced the success of contacts made by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas and Israel in overcoming the obstacles that caused the delay in implementing the release of the second batch of prisoners.
Al-Ansari reiterated his country’s appreciation for the efforts of its mediation partners Egypt and the United States in overcoming the obstacles to the agreement.
