It took only six hours for the proposed Gaza ceasefire to collapse.<br /><br />Israel resumed air strikes on Tuesday six hours after agreeing to the Egyptian-proposed truce – because Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza were continuing.<br /><br />Palestinian officials say nearly 200 people in the territory, mostly civilians, have been killed in eight days of fighting.<br /><br />But despite the devastation, Hamas rejected the ceasefire. Sami Abou Zahri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told euronews that the Islamist group’s broader demands must be met first. <br /><br />“Netanyahu’s ceasefire declaration has no meaning,” he said of the Israeli premier. “Because if Hamas is fighting today, it is not to obtain a ceasefire but to free the Palestinian people from Israeli oppression. Officially, Israel has killed 200 Palestinians but the figure is doubtless much bigger than that.”<br /><br />Among its demands, Hamas is seeking a deal that will ease border restrictions imposed by both Egypt and Israel.<br /><br />“We, the inhabitants of Gaza, are dying on a daily basis, slowly, morning and night, and it is unfair,” said one man in Gaza City.<br /><br />“We don’t love war but we have rights that we are trying to defend. We want a truce which will put an end to the blockade – a truce that will obtain justice for us and lift the black fog that we live in,” another man added.<br /><br />This should be a special time. But the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Gaza has been marked by death, bloodshed and destruction.<br /><br />For its people, grief is mixed with anger – with no end to this conflict in sight.
