Gaza, Israel live their second day of truce while calm remains
Jerusalem, May 22 (EFE).- The Israel-Gaza ceasefire has held for a second day Saturday with no reports of violence.
The restored calm comes after 11 days of conflict between the Israeli army and militants in the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement. It was the worst outbreak of violence since 2014.
Humanitarian supplies began to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip on Friday through the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing, which had been closed since the conflict broke out on 10 May.
The flare-up killed 248 Palestinians in the enclave and 12 in Israel and caused extensive material damage in the Strip, where there were also 1,948 injured, according to the Gazan health ministry.
A total 357 of Israeli were wounded, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services.
“Some semblance of normality is beginning to return to Gaza, with roads being cleared of rubble and teams working to repair damaged electricity and water lines,” the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement last night.
“The majority of those who sought protection in UNRWA schools and with host families are returning home,” it added.
“Hostilities severely damaged essential infrastructure, with the ceasefire permitting repair teams to begin assessing the damage more accurately,” the statement added.
At this point, countries and multiple actors in the international community begin to suggest ideas and plans to tackle the uphill mission of reconstruction of the enclave. EFE
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