Cease-fire for Hamas and Israel

Some where in Gaza, God have mercy

 The other day, the news reported about the head of Hamas and Mr. Jabari in the Middle East was killed in an Israeli attack. Guess what? It was like all hell broke loose, with bombing and ballistic missiles traded back and forth between Gaza and Israel. In less than 24 hours, mass casualties were reported on both sides of the conflict. Israel declared it was doing what was necessary to protect its people, while Gaza also said they were defending themselves and expressed frustration over the blockade. By the way, Gaza is considered one of the most densely populated regions in the world. A rocket from Israel landing in Gaza almost always causes significant damage, while Gaza's rockets often don't reach Israel because of Israel's missile defense system, the Iron Dome, which prevents missiles from hitting their targets in southern Israel.

In the end, the conflict caught the attention of the international community, especially as more people in Gaza were getting killed than in Israel. This is partly because Hamas in Gaza doesn’t have a standing army like Israel, which concerned many observers. Some people even accused Israel of committing atrocities by killing helpless civilians in Gaza.

Why does this conflict exist in the first place, you ask? It's simply because of their chronic territorial dispute, which, for some reason, has existed since the beginning of time in the Middle East. Israel has always had difficulty staying safe in a region where it struggles to find allies. Of course, the international community had to intervene, with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visiting the region for ceasefire talks, followed by the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who went to Egypt to meet with President Morsi. In the end, they were able to broker a ceasefire deal.

I was glad to catch a glimpse of people on TV in Gaza celebrating the ceasefire. These poor folks were happy to finally be free from the troubles of this brief conflict. Nobody wants war; everyone just wants to live in peace and do the things that make them happy. 

Peace should stand still, with no fighting or fussing, because war comes with a huge price, often paid in blood. Let there be peace in the world, not just in the Middle East. As I speak, there is a 20-month-old war still raging in Syria, and a civil war is also ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in my own continent of Africa. I don't really know what is wrong with some people in Africa. They are living and dying of hunger, yet they find the means to fight? Something doesn't add up.

God have mercy on us, and don't forget to pray for the world we live in.

Yours humble Pal,  

Ronnie