By Saniya AliYesterday, just hours after the the ceasefire with Palestine went into effect, Israeli forces raided Masjid Al-Aqsa, injuring 20 innocent civilians.
After almost two weeks of constant bombing, and horrifying attacks from the Israeli forces, the two nations agreed upon a ceasefire agreement. Although a ceasefire doesn’t end the brutal occupation, it would give Palestinians some respite from Israel’s latest mass aggression campaign against them that had been conducted via air strike. During this time, over 200 Palestinians, including children, have lost their lives and over thousands have been displaced. A ceasefire was brokered by Egypt and other UN-involved countries.
While this news was a cause for celebration amongst the Palestinians, any cause for celebration was soon taken away from them when the Israeli Occupation Forces stormed Al-Aqsa, attacking the worshippers with tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound bombs a little after the Friday prayers.
This most recent attack by the Israeli forces makes one wonder if the ceasefire was just a publicity stunt to deflect the negative attention that is on the Israeli government at the moment, or whether it is their way of saying goodbye until tensions rise up again post-agreement.
It is clear that a truce is not the answer to ending the occupation of Palestine. The people of Palestine need a more substantial agreement, which would free the civilians of Gaza from all the restrictions they have been put through over the years. The involvement of Israeli forces in Palestine needs to be completely over — meaning Palestinians need to be FREE — in order to achieve true and lasting peace.