A Palestinian man stands in a room damaged during a raid by the Israeli army in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, today. (Credit: Raneen Sawafta/Reuters)
Here is a summary of events from day 54 of the Hamas-Israel war, day six of the Hamas-Israel truce, and the 44th International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
If the current agreement between Israel and Hamas is not renewed a second time tonight, then fighting could very well begin again tomorrow morning. The exchange and truce deal, in effect since Friday, facilitated the release of 81 hostages from Gaza and 180 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, with more Palestinians set to be released tonight.
Newly released Palestinian Rouba Assi is carried by supporters during a welcome ceremony for detainees freed from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages released by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Nov. 28, 2023. (Credit: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP)
Hope for renewal
The international community was very vocal over the last week in support of a longer cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. Among those calling for an extension to the truce are the G7, the UN, China, Antony Blinken, and Pope Francis, although exact wording may differ from statement to statement, with some still treading carefully around the word “cease-fire.”
As of the publication of this summary, no announcements were made about an extension, although reports came out throughout the day about ongoing negotiations. Sources privy to the process said that both sides are interested in extending the truce further, but that there is mounting pressure within the Israeli government to return to fighting in the Gaza Strip.
A picture taken through a bullet hole in a window shows a view of Jenin city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Nov. 18, 2023. (Credit: Fadel Senna/AFP)
No cease-fire in Jenin
While in Gaza the cease-fire held, Jenin, in the West Bank, was engulfed in violence. Aggressions in the occupied West Bank have increased significantly since Oct. 7. Today, there was what Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti described as an “Israeli invasion” of Jenin, in which houses and infrastructure were destroyed, and Jenin Medical Complex was surrounded, declared by the Israeli army as a “closed military zone.”
The army raided Jenin refugee camp last night and again today. They claim to have killed two senior Hamas operatives in last night’s raid. Today, the Israeli army shot and killed two children, Adam al-Ghoul, eight years old, and Bassem Abu el-Wafa, 15 years old. Adam was shot as he was running away in the street. Another child was with him and managed to escape the bullets, ducking behind a parked car, as seen in widely circulated CCTV footage.
Bassem was shot while standing in the street, in a separate incident. In the video, he is lying on the ground for nearly half-a-minute, calling out, struggling in apparent agony, while bullets continue to hit the ground around him.
The Israeli army also arrested 12-year-old Karim Ghawanmeh, holding him without charge. He is now the youngest Palestinian in Israeli detention.
Palestinians look at the houses destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war, amid the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, at Khan Younis refugee camp, in the southern Gaza Strip, November 29, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Salem/Reuters)