How do I blend/fade images with background color on inkscape

I normally use transparency tool on Corel Draw to blend two images together or an image with either colored or black background with fade in fade out effects. Recently I started using Linux, unfortunately no Corel Draw in Linux but Inkscape as one alternative. I know it can be done with GIMP but please how do I achieve the same effects with Inkscape?

This is a sample picture of what I want to achieve. I did this with Corel Draw.