GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The first anniversary of the eight-day war waged by Israel in November 2012 was marked in the Gaza Strip by a severe humanitarian crisis spurred by the area’s protracted electricity shortage. This situation was apparent in the daily lives of local citizens and led to a stoppage in the operation of wastewater pumping stations, which flooded the streets of some neighborhoods, while general hospitals curtailed their services and the Rafah border crossing with Egypt remained shut.

Despite the deteriorating economic situation in Gaza and the worsening humanitarian crisis, Palestinian factions, particularly Hamas and Islamic Jihad, commemorated the first anniversary of the second war with Israel with a major show of force and the holding of military parades through many streets of the besieged Strip.

Thousands of leaders and members of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades participated in military parades that covered numerous areas of the Gaza Strip with masked gunmen carrying various types of weapons. These included a wide range of projectiles as well as the M-75 rocket, which has a range of up to 75 kilometers (46.6 miles), and was launched during the war for the first time by Palestinians toward Tel Aviv.

A leader of the al-Qassam Brigades stated during one of the parades in Gaza attended by Al-Monitor, “The Israeli enemy and leaders had knelt before the resistance movement and put an end to the war pursuant to conditions laid forth by the resistance.” He added, “The Zionist occupation forces requested a cease fire through intermediaries 48 hours into the Shale Stones Battle, but the al-Qassam brigades rejected the demand because we wanted to extend the battle for as long as possible.”