THE truce between Israel and Gaza is another remarkable development in the Middle East crisis where Israel has been put into place by Hamas.

After Hizbollah's success in Lebanon a couple of years ago, this truce should be ending the blockade of Gaza in the real sense if the world conscience is alive and they believe in freedom for all.

Israeli occupation and colonisation plan through blockade of Gaza that has been crippling its population for the last many years and has made Gaza the largest open-sky prison in the world has evaporated from the minds of Israeli peace lovers.

Lifting the blockade which, according to what Egyptian President Mursi said was part of the truce agreement, is a dire necessity for the restoration of a kind of normality and for reconstruction of the damaged city.

Funds required for reconstruction should at least be borne by the United Nations which otherwise remained a silent spectator, violating its own charter of being the sole custodian of peace in the comity of nations.

The world and the Muslim community have to be watching the implementation of a real ceasefire between Palestinian and Israel, and all efforts for reconstruction, and healing of the wounds of the Palestinians in Gaza should be supported through Hamas leadership and not Fatah of Mehmod Abbas who Hillary Clinton was trying to project by meeting on the sidelines of this truce.

Maybe this time the Middle East conflict that has been damaging regional and world peace for decades can be brought to a solution, and Israeli politicians are not allowed to exploit Gaza in the coming elections for permanent peace in the region.

Another hopeful outcome of the situation would be the bridging of differences and rivalries within the Palestinian people themselves. In the power struggle between a Bha’ai Mahmood Abbas’s PLO and Hamas, Hamas victory would give them an edge and help uniting the forces for the betterment of the Palestinian people’s cause hanging fire for last few decades.

If the UN wants to be a genuine peace guarantor, the UN should immediately depute peace forces on both sides of the border in Gaza and Israel to ensure a meaningful ceasefire, otherwise be prepared for the UN’s natural death as the bold and brave Hamas leadership has given a ray of hope to secure the Palestinian cause.

ALI ASHRAF KHAN Karachi