Families began carefully re-entering their crumbling apartment buildings in Gaza, last weekend, to retrieve belongings that may have been spared by the shelling.
Hours before, missiles had rained down on the strip as Israel sought to crush an attack from Hamas, which began just as the Muslim world marked the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
Life in Gaza is slowly returning to normal, but 11 days of bombardment decimated the strip’s infrastructure and killed at least 248 Palestinians, including 66 children.
In Israel, 12 people were killed, including one child, a Palestinian-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals. An Egypt-brokered ceasefire took effect at 2am on Friday, putting a stop to the deaths and prompting both sides to claim victory.
Celebrations in Gaza were held under clouds of smoke as the extent of the damage became clear and the greater challenge of rebuilding loomed ahead.
The UN estimates more than 77,000 Palestinians were displaced by the air strikes. Families are mourning the loss of loved ones while the damage left almost half of the two-million population without access to clean water and electricity.
Countries and international humanitarian organisations have begun pledging funds to help rebuild. Kuwait, Oman, Egypt, Norway, the UK and the EU are among the donors to have pledged aid worth over $750m towards repairing the besieged enclave.
With a long but familiarly difficult road ahead of Gaza, one qualm at the heart of the recent unrest remains unresolved: the struggle over Sheikh Jarrah district.
The ceasefire has stopped the shelling from both sides but protesters at Al Aqsa Compound continue to clash with Israeli armed forces.
Title image: Rescuers search for victims at the site of an air strike in Gaza city. Reuters
May 6
Tension has existed between Israelis and Palestinians for decades.
Israeli security forces try to detain a Palestinian woman in Sheikh Jarrah, where looming evictions of Palestinian families have fuelled anger, on May 15. AFP
The latest round of violence began on May 6, when Israel's Supreme Court was due to rule on the eviction of 19 Palestinian families from a small district some 500m from the Old City of Jerusalem.
Tensions over Sheikh Jarrah have been brewing for years. As the Israeli court neared its final decision, during Ramadan, Palestinians held protests against what they said were biased proceedings, as well as against the occupation of the East Jerusalem district.
Israeli forces descended on Sheikh Jarrah to quell the protests and any gatherings in the area. They arrested demonstrators and sprayed Palestinians with skunk water – a putrid liquid that lingers on the skin and in the air for days – and water cannons to disperse the crowds.
Meanwhile, the protests began to gain traction on social media. The world's eyes turned to the events unfolding in the district and the Israeli court postponed the verdict. For Palestinians, the struggle for Sheikh Jarrah became a symbol of resistance against occupation.
Israeli security forces try to detain a Palestinian woman in Sheikh Jarrah, where looming evictions of Palestinian families have fuelled anger, on May 15. AFP
Israeli security forces try to detain a Palestinian woman in Sheikh Jarrah, where looming evictions of Palestinian families have fuelled anger, on May 15. AFP
Stun grenades burst in the air amid stand-offs between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces on May 7. AFP
Stun grenades burst in the air amid stand-offs between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces on May 7. AFP
A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during confrontations at Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during confrontations at Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
May 7
Al Aqsa Mosque is Islam's third holiest site and has long been a flashpoint for Palestinians and Israelis.
Stun grenades burst in the air amid stand-offs between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces on May 7. AFP
During the final 10 days of Ramadan, which are considered the holiest, Muslims prayed at the mosque and the surrounding compound.
On May 7, Israeli forces were stationed in the area, where they faced off with protesting worshippers. Israeli police fired rubber-coated bullets and stun grenades at the demonstrators, who hurled rocks and shot fireworks towards them.
An Al Aqsa official called for calm through the mosque's loudspeakers but more than 200 Palestinians and 17 Israeli officers were injured in the evening violence.
Smaller scuffles broke out near Sheikh Jarrah, where police used skunk water to disperse the Palestinians.
The violence continued over several days, escalating further on May 10, which is known in Israel as Jerusalem Day and is marked as the anniversary of its capture of the holy city in the 1967 war.
A Palestinian man prays as Israeli police gather during confrontations at Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said at least 305 Palestinians were injured and 228 of them taken to hospital, with several in critical condition. Police said 21 officers were injured.
Throughout that week, a series of killings were reported across the West Bank. A 19-year-old Israeli was killed in a drive-by shooting that Israeli authorities attributed to a Palestinian attacker. Days later, Israeli forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian near Nablus. Later in the week, two Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli troops, who said the men opened fire on a base in the occupied West Bank.
"They were firing at us as if they were on a rampage"
Ahmad Abu Isnaynah
May 10
The first rockets were fired by Hamas from Gaza into Israel. The missiles came five days after Mohammed Deif, leader of the militant group's armed wing, gave Israel an ultimatum.
Deif, who is head of Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades and has been in hiding for more than 20 years, recorded a public statement on May 5 that warned Israel would pay a "heavy price" if it evicted Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem and continued the violence at Al Aqsa Compound.
The missiles were subsequently fired from Gaza into Tel Aviv – the farthest Hamas rockets have reached to date – and West Jerusalem.
Sirens sounded in the coastal city, about 90km north of Gaza, prompting Israelis to take cover in underground bomb shelters.
In Jerusalem, a Hamas rocket damaged a house and started a fire.
In total, Hamas said they fired around 30 rockets on May 10.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas crossed a “red line” by firing on the Jerusalem area for the first time since the 2014 war.
Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said more attacks were possible if Israel continued to send armed forces into Al Aqsa Compound or evicted Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah.
May 10 - May 21
Israel responded to attacks from Hamas by returning fire into Gaza on the night of May 10. Gaza health officials said at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed.
The shelling would continue for 11 days. Most of Israel's airstrikes fell in Gaza city, where 118 people were killed. North Gaza bore the brunt of the bombing, which killed 72 people. In total, at least 230 Palestinians, including 65 children, were killed.
Hamas's air strikes on Israel killed 10 people, including an Israeli child and a Palestinian-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals.
Hamas and other militant groups fired more than 4,300 rockets at Israel during the conflict, according to the Israeli military.
Israel said it intercepted 90 per cent of Hamas's artillery fire over the course of the 11 days, using its Iron Dome missile defence system.
The Israeli military did not release a precise figure of the number of air strikes it launched, though a military official said “thousands of targets" were hit in Gaza and each target required "multiple" strikes.
Among the fiercest attacks from Israel was a set of air strikes that brought down Al Jalaa Tower, a 12-storey building that housed international media offices, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Israel said the building housed important Hamas offices, as well as a gym and some start-up businesses.
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) building, where Palestinians receive treatment for trauma and burns, was damaged by shelling on May 16.
The strip's only Covid-19 testing lab was badly damaged by a nearby strike on May 17 and could no longer conduct screenings. The same day, the Palestinian Children Relief Fund clinic, which provides free medical treatment to children across the Palestinian territories, suffered extensive damage during an air strike.
A building is hit during an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
A Catholic school and convent also sustained damage, and Samir Mansour Library – one of Gaza's largest and well-known bookshops - was destroyed.
On May 18, Palestinians across the Occupied Territories and Jerusalem held a nationwide strike, protesting in solidarity with the people of Gaza and against the Israeli shelling. Thousands marched towards so-called “points of contention”, carrying flags and posters and chanting in support of Gaza and Sheikh Jarrah.
At least three people were shot dead by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, social media platforms exploded in support of the movement, with hashtags, including #StrikeForPalestine in English and Arabic, being shared hundreds of thousands of times.
All the while, mobs of civilians in "mixed cities" – comprising Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel – began attacking each other. Videos emerged of groups facing off, destroying businesses and beating passers-by in cities including Lod – where a state of emergency was called – and Bat Yam near Tel Aviv.
A building is hit during an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
A building is hit during an Israeli air strike in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP
A Palestinian boy carries food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warehouse in Rafah in Gaza on May 26. AFP
A Palestinian boy carries food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warehouse in Rafah in Gaza on May 26. AFP
A ceasefire, brokered by Egypt, came into effect on Friday, May 21, at 2am.
A Palestinian boy carries food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency warehouse in Rafah in Gaza on May 26. AFP
Both sides claimed victory and celebrations were held. Since then, attention has turned to rebuilding Gaza and maintaining the truce.
The 11-day conflict destroyed almost 770 homes, displacing around 100,000 people, according to the UN, and bodies were being pulled from the wreckage days after the ceasefire.
Essential infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, water supplies and electricity, sustained heavy damage, including Gaza’s only Covid-19 testing clinic. The strip's vaccination campaign was also affected.
At least 53 schools, six hospitals, 11 primary healthcare centres and half the supply lines bringing power from Israel were damaged, leaving Gazans with only a few hours of electricity a day.
Recovery is expected to take years even without the blockage preventing the import of basic building materials such as cement.
Palestinian officials estimate that repairs to the already impoverished strip require tens of millions of dollars.
The first aid convoys carrying vital supplies began entering the strip hours after the ceasefire came into effect. Aid agencies, including those affiliated with the UN, sent trucks of much-needed medicine, food and fuel after Israel opened the south-eastern Kerem Shalom crossing.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) called for $38m in urgent aid to help the displaced Gazans.
Egypt pledged $500m towards repairs in Gaza while Oman, Kuwait and Qatar each launched humanitarian campaigns to raise more than $100m. Kuwait and Jordan sent tonnes of medical and relief aid to the strip. The European Union offered $245,000 as part of its $1.1m contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The UN pledged $22.5m while Qatar, in January, pledged to donate $310m to Gaza over the course of the year.
Fundraising campaigns have also been launched by Singapore Red Cross and the Church of Ireland. Norway pledged $3.6m in addition to the $8.5m it already provided throughout the year. The UK pledged $4.5m in funding through the UN.
The US said it would restore funding for UNRWA, which was halted under former president Donald Trump's administration. On May 25, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US would provide an additional $75m in development and economic aid to the Palestinians in 2021, $5.5m in immediate disaster relief for Gaza and $32m to UNRWA.
Despite the ceasefire, protests in East Jerusalem continue and the catalyst for the 11-day violence remains unsolved: the risk of eviction for the 19 Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah.
The rapidly evolving events in the area were a source of inherent anger among Palestinians. This stemmed not only from living under occupation or judgement by a legal system that they believe is tilted against them, but also from a disillusionment with the West Bank's government. A poll of 1,200 adults by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research found that 84 per cent believed the ruling Palestinian Authority, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, was corrupt.
The day after the ceasefire came into effect had been scheduled as a polling day for legislative elections across the Palestinian territories, which Mr Abbas indefinitely postponed in April.
The president pinned his decision to scrap the first Palestinian elections in 15 years on Israel’s failure to guarantee voting in occupied East Jerusalem. However, there was widespread speculation that Mr Abbas feared his divided Fatah party would flounder against a united Hamas and a newly formed list between exiled Fatah member Nassir Al Kidwa and jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti. The postponement did little to quell Palestinian frustration.
A culmination of these factors, as well as the tensions over Al Aqsa Compound, led to the recent violence.
While Palestinians and Israelis enjoyed their first few days without war, Israeli forces moved into Sheikh Jarrah and erected concrete barriers and military check-points to police the entry and exit of residents and visitors alike.
Protesters on the outskirts of the neighbourhood were dispersed with stun grenades. In Al Aqsa Compound, fresh confrontations broke out between demonstrators and Israeli police.
On May 25, Mr Blinken travelled to Israel to meet Mr Netanyahu and later Mr Abbas in a trip aimed at solidifying the ceasefire. Meetings in Egypt and Jordan were also planned as part of the tour. Mr Blinken reiterated Israel's right to self-defence and Washington's commitment to replenishing the Iron Dome. He also announced that the reopening of the US Consulate General in Jerusalem, as part of efforts to restore ties with Palestinians.
As diplomats negotiate behind close doors, the underlying issues that led to the siege have yet to be addressed.
The Israeli Supreme Court is yet to issue its verdict on the Sheikh Jarrah evictions. Until a long-term solution can be found for those families, and the rights of Palestinians in the territories and across Israel can be ensured, Palestinians and Israelis say it is likely only a matter of time before violence breaks out again.
"We always say that we won’t leave. Until the last moment, we will not leave."
Muna Al Kurd, whose family's at risk of eviction in Sheikh Jarrah
Words Nada AlTaher
Editor Juman Jarallah
Design Nick Donaldson
Graphics Roy Cooper
Picture Editor Olive Obina
Video Editor Gully Burrows
Additional reporting Rosie Scammell
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