GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – After a ruinous war, Gaza is rushing back to a veneer of normalcy at astonishing speed. Street cafes and beaches are packed with people until late at night. Families crowd the few public parks. Wedding halls are booked solid.
Gazans who endured 50 days of devastating Israeli bombardment are now eager to enjoy some life. Far from a celebration, however, Gazans themselves acknowledge the revelry is only to thinly mask trauma and widespread despair.
Many complain that none of the gains they hoped for from the war have been realized. Almost none express any optimism for change in the misery in the tiny, densely populated Mediterranean coastal strip, which is suffocating under seven years of blockade by Israel and Egypt and is under the iron rule of the Hamas militant group.
“We go out just to steal a moment of joy,” said Rami Ali, a 33-year-old bank employee sitting with friends at a seaside cafe. “We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, we might have another war.” He said nothing can help them avoid the reminders of the onslaught – “the destruction of homes, the power outages, the lack of any progress on easing the blockade.”
The burst of liveliness is startling. Cafes on the streets or on Gaza’s Mediterranean beaches are a main venue for nightlife, since under Hamas there are no cinemas or theaters. In the three weeks since fighting ended, coffeehouses have thronged with men, women and families. Commercial streets are choked with shoppers.