Gaza still as bleak as ever

There is little reason to express optimism for the Palestinian people in Gaza and West Bank. The "war" may be over but in many ways it carries on for so many of them. Most Palestinians in Gaza have lost their homes and are living in tents. Food is coming in at a faster rate but there is still no clear idea what their future will be. We have gone from all of them being persuaded to leave and live in another country while Donald Trump builds a Gaza Riviera, to the position today where half of Gaza is occupied by Israeli troops and the other half is ruthlessly controlled by Hamas. This is the same Hamas which the Israel Defence Forces supposedly defeated. They may have lost all their top leaders and a huge amount of weeponnry and tunnels to hide in. But those who survived the IDF onslaught - perahps 17,000-20,000 - fill the streets of their 50 per cent of Gaza,showing every intention of keeping their controlling position far into the future and may be for ever. There is a ceasefire which is violated frequently by both sides, so life is not as violent and dangerous as it used to be. But it's like Gaza has been put into limbo. There is no sign of the next phase of the ceasefire peace plan under which Hamas will be disarmed and put out of business and construction companies will pour in and rebuild the territory, destroyed by war. So, Christmas for the Palestinian people both in Gaza and in the West Bank where there has been increasing violence, will not be a happy and festive season. How much longer is this going to go on?