Over 14 years ago, the Israeli military launched one of its bloodiest onslaughts on the besieged Gaza Strip. Their first target was an outdoor graduation ceremony for cadets in the Arafat Police Academy in Gaza, killing 251 and wounding over 700 policemen within a few hours.
That tragic memory was very present in the latest graduation ceremony of young Palestinian cadets in Gaza City on Wednesday.
The graduation was organized by the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza and was attended by a large crowd of families, friends, officials, and spectators.
238 cadets were introduced to the workforce. The ceremony lasted for several hours, during which the cadets displayed impressive skills, such as martial arts performances, the use of silent weapons and tonfa sticks.
Unlike the 2008 tragedy, this time around the ceremony ended with cheers, hugs, and warm embraces.
As new generations of Palestinian police and security officers are being introduced to the workforce, Gaza, like the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, is experiencing difficult times of repeated Israeli attacks on Palestinian Resistance targets.
Since January 1, 66 Palestinians were killed by Israel throughout occupied Palestine, one of the highest ratios of Palestinians killed by Israel in years.
(All Photos: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)
