As of last Friday there’s been a “ceasefire” in Gaza which did end the constant bombing and massacre of Palestinians, but which hasn’t stopped Israel from continuing to kill and sow destruction. The mere announcement of that ceasefire agreement resulted in an arson spree with Israel setting fire to food, homes, and a water treatment plant. On Tuesday, Israel said it wouldn’t abide by the agreement related to humanitarian aid, saying Hamas violated the agreement. On Tuesday, Israel killed five Palestinians in Gaza City. As Francesca Albanese (UN special rapporteur) posted on social media: “Ceasefire according to Israel=‘you cease, I fire.’ (These links all come from Drop Site News which continues to do crucial work on the region and I urge everyone to subscribe.
Poppy surviving in driveway concrete. June 25, 2025
In addition to Drop Site News, I want to give another shout-out to The Wire newsletter from Jewish Voice for Peace. Today’s newsletter is “5 Takeaways From the Ceasefire” and I’m sharing the 5 main points here while recommending reading the piece in its entirety.
ONE: The ceasefire agreement brings immediate relief to Palestinians who are struggling to survive unimaginable conditions.
TWO: The Israeli government has a track record of breaking ceasefire agreements, and it could still resume the bombardment at any moment.
THREE: Gaza has been completely devastated. Palestinians will feel the impacts of the genocide for decades to come.
FOUR: This ceasefire agreement explicitly denies Palestinians the right to determine their own future and does nothing to hold Israel accountable for committing acts of genocide.
FIVE: Our movement’s task is to ensure a permanent end to Israel’s genocide–what we have been demanding for the last two years–and to recommit ourselves to the long-term struggle for a free Palestine.
Palestinians have been put in an unforgivable situation at this juncture and shame on those in power who have enabled, facilitated, and looked the other way as apartheid Israel commits acts of barbarism without any repercussions. Truly depraved and soulless people, both those enabling and those committing atrocities. May they never know a moment’s peace.
My heart is with Palestinians. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Solidarity!
Tracy Abell 
Thanks for the update, Tracy. There can be no meaningful peace when one side wants to have it all.
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Thank you for reading, Rosaliene. And yes, one side does want to have it all because they’re not interested in peace and won’t be satisfied with anything less than the complete elimination of Palestinians.
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Yep. While I am glad some of the suffering has been relieved, I knew it was all just a PR sham. (Thanks to the excellent reporting of Drop Site News and other independent new media). Thanks for sharing this, Tracy. We must learn to be like poppies and grow through the cement (if that makes sense). Solidarity!
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I share your mixed feelings, Mara. It’s very good they’re not under constant bombardment but Israel operates in bad faith–always–and the choices Palestinians face as a result are heartbreaking. YES to being resilient as poppies and Palestine!
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