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Gazans dread return of war

The streets of Gaza are empty once again as locals prepare for further Israeli bombardment.
Palestinians flee their houses at the scene of what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City August 19, 2014. A two-year-old Gaza girl and a woman were killed in an Israeli air strike on Tuesday, making them the first Palestinian deaths in the conflict since the breakdown of a truce earlier in the day, Palestinian health officials said. Israel said it ordered retaliatory raids when militants violated a truce by firing rockets at Israel.    REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UN

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The streets of the Gaza Strip were completely deserted on the afternoon of Aug. 19, after life had returned to the city during the 12-day cease-fire. Israeli warplanes soared over the city, heavily bombarding neighborhoods and residential houses where people were still present.

The deterioration on the ground was also reflected in the political situation, when chief Palestinian negotiator, Azzam al-Ahmed, declared on Aug. 20, "A decision was reached overnight on the part of the Israeli side to derail the negotiations and end the truce."

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