A tense quiet took hold on Tuesday afternoon, March 26, after a night of a heavy exchange of fire as Israeli aircraft bombed Gaza and Palestinian fighters continued to rain rockets down on the south of the country. Israel says its was responding to a rocket attack from Gaza early early Monday, March 25, when a Palestinian rocket destroyed the home of the Levin family in Moshav Mishmeret in the center of the country, wounding seven. Gaza’s Health Ministry announced that seven Palestinians were wounded by air strikes conducted by Israel in retaliation. The exchange continued into the early hours of Tuesday before a ceasefire went into effect.The escalation threatened to devolve into a major conflict, just two weeks before Israel’s general elections.

An aerial photograph of the Levin home destroyed by a rocket fired from Gaza, March 25, 2019. “Only Peace can end this war.”

On the eve of Israel’s latest air strikes on Gaza, Hadash issued a statement condemning the targeting of civilians on both sides of the border and calling for an end to the bloodshed. “There is another way: Peace,” said Hadash. According to the Jewish-Arab Socialist front “only negotiations, ending the siege and the occupation, and a peace treaty based on equality, freedom, and security are the solution for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

The head the Hadash-Ta’al list, MK Ayman Odeh, called on Tuesday for a lasting and stable ceasefire. “We call upon the government to reach a stable ceasefire and to immediately seek a broad agreement that will include the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, the end of the eleven-year long blockade and the opening of negotiations for a political settlement. That is the only way we can save lives,” Odeh said.