Gazans return to devastated homes while ceasefire holds

(13 Aug 2014) People in the Gaza Strip are returning to their homes to survey the devastation as the temporary truce holds. But the clock is ticking; the cease-fire runs out at midnight tonight. In the past it might have been a football, now these children kick empty artillery shells on their way home. The area of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, has been devastated by the Israeli bombardment. Many of those living in the area left at the start of the conflict. Now, as the cease-fire holds, some are starting to return. One of these is 37 year-old Ziad Riziq, a father of two, who used to live here with his family. When he came back he found nothing left. Now he sits under the sun, in a makeshift tent. Walking amongst the rubble, he looks on in despair at the place where his home and business used to be. "I had a flat and a shop here, they were destroyed, that shop was the source of my income and now what is going to be the source of my income? There is nothing, I am sitting," he says. He has strong words for the outside world, who he says has abandoned the Palestinians living in Gaza. "The foreign countries and the Arab countries they used to come here, but we did not see anything. Nobody wants to help the Palestinians not in Gaza or others. How come if something happens in any Arab country the people in Gaza stand up for it? From the youngest, the oldest from the oldest to youngest, from the oldest woman to the youngest woman. How come the Arab countries are not moving? Let the whole world come and film and see what the Jews have done to us. How long is it going to last?" There is not yet an answer to that question. Palestinian negotiators are mulling over an Egyptian proposal to end the war, as the clock on the latest 72-hour cease-fire ticks down. The cease-fire is due to end at midnight tonight (13th August 2014). Since it went into effect on Sunday, Israel has halted military operations in the coastal territory and Gaza militants have stopped firing rockets. The proposal calls for easing parts of the Israeli blockade of Gaza, bringing relief to the territory. But both Hamas and Israel have said they will not back down from their core demands - Israel refuses to end the blockade on the Gaza Strip, while Hamas says it will not disarm. Israel says the closure is necessary to prevent arms smuggling, and officials do not want to make any concessions that would allow Hamas to declare victory. Talks in Cairo between the different parties ended in failure last week. Like many of his fellow Palestinians living in Gaza, Riziq has lived through three wars and has had enough of fighting and peace talks that don't go anywhere. "This is not life. Whenever they said there is cease fire for two or three hours I used to come to this tent sitting with other people who got their house destroyed." As he sits amongst the rubble, making coffee Riziq says it's time for a permanent solution. "We do not want to be bombarded every two or three years. We want to live a good life, we want to sleep well, we want to drink well, we want to eat well. Some of our children are shocked and some of them, when they hear the drones, run away." Palestinian officials say nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed in more than a month of fighting; three-quarters of them are civilians, according to the United Nations. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel have also been killed. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...