Gaza war, a year on

Gaza war, a year on

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About a year ago shelling and air strikes hit the Shejaia neighbourhood in the east of Gaza City during an Israeli offensive, witnesses said at the time. July 8th marks the one-year anniversary of the start of a 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The war did come to an end. But on either side, those caught up in it are still struggling to deal with the fallout. Israel and Hamas too are trying to work out whether the truce they have is stable or if the next war is just around the corner.

Before & After

Before
. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
After
. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Before: A general view shows destruction in the Shejaia neighbourhood.
After: A Palestinian man walks in the same neighbourhood after rubble was cleared.

In Gaza, the impact of the conflict is everywhere. More than 12,000 homes destroyed and 100,000 damaged, with none so far rebuilt. Tens of thousands left homeless. Two-thirds of the 1.8 million people recipients of U.N. aid in one form or another.

More than 500 children were among the 2,100 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, who were killed. Seventy-three Israelis, almost all soldiers, were killed.

Before & After

Before
. ASHKELON, Israel. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
After
. ASHKELON, Israel. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Before: Israelis run towards a bomb shelter.
After: The same bomb shelter is closed.

"The despair, destitution and denial of dignity resulting from last year's war and the blockade are a fact of life for ordinary people in Gaza," said Pierre Krahenbuhl, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, Gaza's main provider of aid. "This situation represents a time-bomb for the region."

Across the frontier in Israel, where constant mortar and rocket fire from Gaza rained down ahead of and during the conflict, the impact is less visible but no less real.

Gadi Yarkoni managed a collective farm near the border with Gaza. On the last day of the war he was hit by a mortar. Two friends were killed and he lost both his legs. About 500 children in the area are still receiving post-war counselling.

Yarkoni is now the head of the local council and channels his energy into trying to shore up the regional economy, which in his mind includes building up Gaza's capabilities.

"Let's embark on a calm period on both sides, development in the Gaza Strip and development in Israel, and then we'll see that it is much better than continued bloodshed," he said.

Before & After

Before
. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem
After
. GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Before: Palestinians perform Friday prayers outside a destroyed mosque.
After: Palestinian girls walk near the same location.

Yet that depends on whether the truce that Egypt hammered out endures. Since the conflict ended last August, militants of smaller factions not allied with Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Palestinian enclave, have continued to fire occasional rockets into Israel.

In recent months, Salafists claiming allegiance to Islamic State have emerged in Gaza, carrying out attacks against Hamas, firing rockets at Israel and making wider threats.

Egypt and Israel, which control access to Gaza, have taken steps that indirectly help Hamas, opening their borders to allow the freer flow of goods and people into the territory, a move that shores up Hamas's popularity against the Salafis.

There are reports of Israel and Hamas engaging in talks, with the Islamist group offering a long-term truce. While there has been no confirmation from either side, such contacts have happened in the past and there is a quiet acknowledgement that at some level both have to deal with 'the devil they know'.

Before & After

Before
. ASHDOD, Israel. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
After
. ASHDOD, Israel. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Before: Israelis stand near to where a rocket fired by Palestinian militants landed.
After: The same location is seen a year later.

Yet even if some progress can be made in such talks, internal Palestinian divisions are an ever present disruption.

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority and head of the Fatah party, remains at odds with Hamas, with whom he agreed a unity government in June 2014.

That deal was supposed to allow the Palestinian Authority, based in the West Bank, to resume responsibility for borders and security in Gaza, but it hasn't happened. Distrust between Hamas and Fatah has never been greater. If Palestinian elections were held tomorrow, polls suggest Hamas would probably win.

Before & After

Before
. BEIT HANOUN, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
After
. BEIT HANOUN, Palestinian Territories. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Before: A Palestinian woman arrives to look at her house.
After: Palestinian boys ride a bicycle on the same street.

In Gaza, Hamas appears dug in for the long-term. Its military wing promises to rebuild tunnels that were used to attack Israel during the war. Israel is developing technology to identify those tunnels before they are used.

Gazans are trying to be positive. This week, a group of young men visited a public garden along the beach and painted bright cartoon murals on the walls and the terrace, part of a campaign they have dubbed "Colour of Hope," which included repainting homes and walls in some streets.

When the war ended, Israeli officials spoke openly about the likelihood of the next conflagration, saying it would be only a year or so before another conflict erupted.

A year on, perhaps the best that can be said is that the timeframe has shifted. Another war may be inevitable - there have been three since 2008 - but it may be further off than initially feared.

Before & After

Before
. ASHDOD, Israel. REUTERS/Avi Roccah
After
. ASHDOD, Israel. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Before: Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire that broke out after a rocket hit a petrol station.
After: A car drives in the same location.