Gaza priest: life ‘paralyzed’ by fighting. The possibility of a truce is receding

After a few hours of ceasefire, rocket attacks from the Strip resumed this morning. The Jerusalem region is also in the spotlight. The massive Israeli response with new air strikes and the halting of negotiations in Cairo to establish a truce. At least 30 dead and 90 wounded Palestinians, one Israeli casualty in Rehovot.

Jerusalem () – The alarm sirens sounded again this morning in Israel, due to the rockets launched from the Strip, to which the army responded with new raids by fighters with the Star of David. A resumption of violence, after the hours of relative calm of the night, as he told The p. Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family of Gaza, Argentine priest of the Incarnate Word. “Life is paralyzed in Gaza as in the entire region. Many are waiting for a truce, a respite” in a context of growing violence, a spiral that does not seem to abate. “Yesterday we experienced moments of very strong confrontations, which later stopped,” he continued. “Some spoke of a truce, others ruled it out. The fact is that we live in suspense, waiting for the situation to evolve, with civilian life, schools closed.” .

Palestinian sources reported new attacks near Rafah, in the southern part of the Strip, but for the moment there are no news of new victims or injuries. The incursions responded to the launch of more than 15 rockets from Gaza towards southern Israel, after a pause of almost 13 hours that had led to speculation about the possibility, if not of a ceasefire, at least of a pause in the escalation. military.

Alarm sirens resounded in the Jewish settlements of Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, and in towns near the border with the Strip. As for the current phase of armed confrontation between Israel and Islamic Jihad (for now, the position of Hamas, which rules Gaza, seems blurred), it is the first time that rockets have been launched at Beit Shemesh and the settlements of Elazar, Efrat , Neveh Daniel, Rosh Tzurim, Alon Shvut and Bat Ayin.

“We are fine,” Father Romanelli continued, “and to the extent possible we continue with our lives, with the celebrations, with the recitation of the rosary that we broadcast online so that more faithful can attend,” he said. “Right now I’m going to take communion to the elderly and the sick, then we continue with the apostolate of phone calls, calling our parishioners one by one to find out how the situation is, if they need anything, from food to practical help. We hope that all this will end soon, but we don’t know”.

Among the most active in the diplomatic field to reach a truce is Egypt, since Mohammed al-Hindi, head of the political wing of Islamic Jihad, arrived in Cairo, who today called for a constructive dialogue between the parties. We hope to reach an honorable agreement,” he told the AFP, “that reflects the interests of our people and the resistance.” From the Israeli side, however, attempts at negotiations return to sender after the new missile launches in the morning: a senior diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, spoke of “frozen” negotiations and assured that the response would be “significant. And if it is necessary to intensify it, we will do it,” he added.

Palestinian Health Ministry sources in Gaza reported at least 30 deaths, including children and five senior Islamic Jihad officials, and 90 wounded since violence escalated on May 9. In Israel, on the other hand, the first cracks were recorded in the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, which allowed some of the almost 900 rockets launched in recent days to hit homes and inhabited places, causing a civilian casualty in Rehovot. (South of Tel Aviv).