Israel and Palestinians seem to be heading for a ceasefire

Israeli and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip after Egyptian officials said the two sides had agreed to a ceasefire , a truce to end a flare-up of violence that killed dozens of Palestinians in what appeared to be a truce on Sunday night.

The ceasefire would end the worst fighting since his 11-day war between Israel and Hamas last year inGaza. Violence has killed his 43 Palestinians, including 15 children and her four women, since Friday night.

Egyptian officials said the ceasefire was scheduled to begin at 11:30 pm. (2030 GMT; 4:30 PM ET). An Egyptian intelligence official said both sides agreed to a ceasefire. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the ceasefire negotiations.

Israel confirmed that the ceasefire was set to stick, but said it would respond if breached.

Since Friday, Israeli aircraft have struck targets in Gaza, and Iran-backed Palestinian jihadist militant groups responded by firing hundreds of rockets at Israel. ing. The danger of cross-border fighting turning into full-scale war remained until a ceasefire was reached. Israel says some of the dead were killed by rocket misfires.

Gaza's ruling Hamas group, possibly fearing Israeli reprisals, has decided to pursue an economic deal with Israel, including Israeli jobs. remained on the sidelines for fear of spoiling the It has granted permits to thousands of Gazans and strengthened their control.

Israel launched its operation on Friday with an attack on an Islamic jihadist leader, followed by another targeted attack on another prominent leader on Saturday.

His Khaled Mansour, the second Islamic Jihad commander, was killed in an airstrike on an apartment building in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza late Saturday, killing two other militants and civilians. Five people also died.

Mansur, commander of Islamic Jihad in southern Gaza, was in the apartment of a member of the group when the missile struck, causing a three-story building to collapse and a nearby home to be badly damaged.

"Suddenly, without warning, the house next door was bombed, and in the blink of an eye, everything was black and covered with smoke," said the target building. said Wissam Jooda, who lives next door.

Another neighbor, his Ahmed al-Qaissi, said his wife and son were among him among the wounded, with shrapnel injuries. Al-Qaesi agreed to demolish part of his home to make way for rescue workers.

Israeli forces said they suspected they had attacked an "Islamic Jihad rocket launch pad" as Mansur's funeral began in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. Smoke was visible from the strike as Gaza rattled and exploded. Israeli airstrikes and rocket attacks continued for hours, with sirens blaring across central Israel. As the call to prayer at sunset echoed across Gaza, sirens blared as far north as Tel Aviv.

Israel said some of the deaths during this round were caused by erroneous rocket fire, including one incident at the Jebariya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Saturday that killed six Palestinians. On Sunday, two men were killed when a projectile hit a house in the same area of ​​Jebaliyah. The Palestinians held Israel responsible, but Israel said it was investigating whether the area had been hit by a false rocket.

The Israeli Defense Ministry said mortars fired from Gaza hit the Erez border crossing into Israel and are used by thousands of Gazans every day. The ministry said the mortar shell had damaged the roof and debris hit the entrance to the hall. The crossing was closed during the fighting.

Rafah's attack was the deadliest yet in the current round of fighting launched by Israel on Friday by targeting and killing an Islamic Jihad commander in northern Gaza.

Israel said it took action against militant groups because of specific threats of imminent attacks, but did not give details. Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, an experienced diplomat but with no experience overseeing war, launched an offensive three months before the general election and campaigned to keep his job. did

In a statement on Sunday, Rapid said the military "will continue to strike targets in Gaza in a pinpoint and responsible manner to minimize harm to non-combatants."

"Operations will continue as long as necessary," Rapid said.

Israel estimates that about 15 militants were killed in the airstrikes.

Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and supporters than Hamas, and little is known of its arsenal. Hamas is constrained by government demands.

The Israeli military said militants in Gaza had fired about 580 rockets at Israel. It said it intercepted many of them, two of which were shot down toward Jerusalem.Islamic Jihad has fewer fighters and followers than Hamas.

Since last year's Israeli-Hamas war. , air raid sirens sounded for the first time in the Jerusalem area on Sunday.

Jerusalem is usually a flashpoint during cross-border fighting between Israel and Gaza. Jewish ultranationalist Rep. Itamar Ben Guvir visited the sensitive holy site of Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. Police said the visit ended successfully under close police protection.

Such demonstrative visits by Israeli hardliners seeking to underline Israeli sovereignty claims over disputed Jerusalem have sparked violence in the past. Located on the fault line of the conflict, it is at the center of the conflicting narratives of Palestinian and Israeli Jews.