During the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian houses of Gaza were closed because there was a risk of being killed on exit. They came out only after the ceasefire to see what Israel had done.
People gathered to see the rubble of the building that had been turned into a pile of concrete, which Israel had demolished. In some places, the roads were closed with similar debris. The bulldozers were working continuously.
However, there was nothing that was shocking in all of them. What happened during this struggle was covered extensively by TV channels. But man wants to see it once with his own eyes. Israeli leaders and military commanders are claiming that they have 'severely damaged the infrastructure of terror of Hamas and other small groups operating in Gaza.
The damage done to the buildings is clearly visible here. But the morale of supporters of Gaza's armed groups is a different matter. After 11 days of war, their morale not only remains, but it seems to be increased.
I have not been able to see military bases built under the ground, but the discussion here is that Hamas is surprised by how Israel was able to target even people sitting in underground bases considered safe.
Khan Yunus, from the town of Gaza, I joined the mass of nine fighters who were killed in that part of the network of tunnels that Israel targeted. Khan Yunus had come to a standstill. Thousands of people prayed on the playground and when the bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were taken towards the cemetery, they shouted slogans.
Israeli leaders are counting which buildings were destroyed, which Hamas commanders and fighters were targeted and killed. Along with this, the success of Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system is also being talked about.
First of all, Hamas shows its existence as a victory. On the day the ceasefire took place, Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, who had been hiding until now, appeared in Gaza. However, Hamas is also satisfied that it has benefited politically as well.
Slogans in support of Hamas after prayers in the al-Aqsa Mosque of Jerusalem, about 96 kilometers from the center of Gaza, show that Hamas has been successful in conveying to the Palestinians that it is fighting and sacrificing their rights over Jerusalem. Israel says that the whole of Jerusalem is its capital and it cannot be divided, but the views of the Palestinians are different.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has international recognition as the leader of the Palestinians. He heads the PLO and Palestinian administration, whose job is to take care of parts of Israel's occupied territory.
Under the Oslo Accords of 1990, the Palestinian administration was to be transformed into the government of an independent nation, but now this agreement has become almost ineffective.
However, Palestinians are not satisfied with the president's work. He canceled the elections to be held in May. It was believed that he would have lost in these elections. Palestinians have not been able to vote for the president or any legislature since 2006.
Meanwhile, Hamas's message that they will fight for Jerusalem till the end reaches the heart of the Palestinians who are angry with President Abbas. Palestinians are angry that Abbas could not stop Israel's settlement on the occupied land, which is illegal under international law.
After the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will again join the fight to preserve his political existence in Israel. He was doing the same thing before the 11-day conflict with Hamas.
Netanyahu is on trial and the allegations are so serious that he can go to jail for corruption like his predecessor Ehud Olmert. On May 10, when Hamas dramatically escalated the conflict by firing missiles at Jerusalem, Netanyahu was very close to losing his position.
There were four elections in Israel in two years and none of the four could get much decisive. In such a situation, Netanyahu is still the caretaker prime minister. Even after trying for nearly a month, Netanyahu has failed to form a coalition to win 61 votes in Parliament.
Yar Lapid, Netanyahu's main rival waiting for his turn, was just a few days or maybe a few hours away from declaring that he had the votes to form the government. But as the conflict began, Lapid's plan fell into disarray.
He still has time to garner a majority of votes but it is believed that he may not be successful and will have to hold elections for the fifth time.
There is another challenge before Israel. The sense of co-existence and brotherhood between the Jewish majority and Palestinian Arab minorities with a population of 20% has disappeared. The situation has worsened by Netanyahu's polarizing statements and increasing closeness with extremist Jewish nationalists.
Like the earlier battles between Israel and Hamas, the ceasefire this time is also a short-term halt. Neither the dispute has been resolved by this nor both sides have calmed down.
How permanent the ceasefire is will not be known until an inciting incident occurs. This incident could be the firing of rockets from Gaza or the violence of the Israeli police against the Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Or that case can also be tested in this ceasefire demanding the eviction of the Palestinians living here from the Jewish groups settled in Sheikh Jarra district of occupied East Jerusalem. The violence in Jerusalem itself began with the fear that Palestinian families could be evacuated from their homes and that more Jews could settle here.
In this case, the court postponed its decision so that the situation could be pacified. But this case has not been closed. The decision has to be made in this. In such a situation, the first major challenge for this ceasefire can come from the Israeli court itself.
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