Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades parade in Gaza

GAZA CITY, GAZA - MAY 30: Parade of the Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas, is held in Gaza City, Gaza on May 30, 2021. A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was reached following 11 days of clashes between the two sides.

Thousands of Palestinians attended on Monday, May 30, celebrations in Gaza held by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.The group held a military parade as people gathered and chanted slogans for their fight against Israeli oppression.Similar celebrations were held previously in the occupied West Bank’s Ramallah and other cities following the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel.The cease-fire came after 11 days of Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.Since April 13, clashes erupted across the occupied territories because of Israeli attacks and restrictions on Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and an Israeli court’s decision to evict 12 Palestinian families from their homes in favor of Israeli settlers.Tensions moved to Gaza on May 10, leading to a military confrontation between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance groups where Israeli warplanes caused an unprecedented scale of destruction in the occupied territory.The Al-Qassam Brigades threatened to strike Tel Aviv if Israel targeted civilians in Gaza.At least 254 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 39 women, and more than 1,900 others injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, according to Palestinian medics. At least 31 Palestinians were also killed in Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank.Thirteen Israelis were killed by Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Jerusalem, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as capital of a future Palestinian state.Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.Since 2003, Israel has allowed settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis.Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.