Israeli-Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad agrees to ceasefire in Gaza after three days of cross-border fighting sparked by surprise Israeli airstrikes Did.
The Egyptian official who brokered the deal said the ceasefire would go into effect at 11:30 pm (9:30 pm BST).
A spokesman for the Israeli military did not comment on the report, but it was confirmed by Islamic Jihad. "We are grateful to the Israeli government," spokesman Tarek Selmi said. Operation Breaking Dawn should at least temporarily halt the bloodshed that erupted in the blocked territory on Friday.
A total of 36 Palestinians, including 11 of his children and members of Islamic Jihad, were killed in the bombing campaign, more than 300 were injured, and 13 Israelis were treated in hospital. ing.GazaHundreds of retaliatory rockets were fired across the border into the south of the country, resulting in minor injuries. It said several children were killed by stray rockets fired by Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad has not commented on the allegations, but Hamas, the allied group that controls the Strip, has condemned the attack on Israel.
The flare-up is the worst outbreak of violence between Israeli and Palestinian militants since his 11-day war last May. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had signaled that the campaign was to last about a week. Israel has inflicted heavy losses on Islamic Jihad over the past three days, including targeting and killing two senior commanders.
Whether the latest confrontation could escalate into a full-blown conflict depends largely on whether Hamas, the larger Islamist movement that dominates the Strip, decides to intervene. Although the two groups are allies, Hamas has not fully replenished its weapons and tunnel network since last May's war and has resisted being drawn into the fighting. But all sides recognize that the risk of miscalculation and escalation increases as time passes.
Unlike Hamas, Islamic Jihad is not responsible for running day-to-day operations in impoverished areas. As a result, it is seen as a more belligerent resistance faction, often acting independently and sometimes even undermining the authority of Hamas. Following four wars and several other battles in a year, it is reeling from unexpected spasms of violence.
The joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade, imposed after Hamas seized control in 2007, has turned electricity and clean water into dreaded commodities, leading to about 50% unemployment and the collapse of health infrastructure. I locked up people who were suffering.
Mohammed al-Aydi, 37, used his hose to fill a water tank in the scorching heat on Sunday afternoon, and has been in his home since hostilities erupted on Friday. He said he had no water at home. Gaza's only power plant was forced to shut down due to a lack of fuel after 12 hours, and local health officials warned that if fuel is not available within the next 72 hours, ambulances, operating rooms, central The treatment room warned that it would be forced to suspend services.
"Since yesterday, he's only had electricity for three hours at a time. My neighbor had contracted for a generator that I couldn't afford, so I couldn't use the lights and internet to charge his router." I had to bring the battery to the airport," he said.
"It's only the third day, but they're already suffering badly." Tensions also rose in the West Bank below. Al-Aqsa, his mosque complex commemorating Tisha, was visited by a large number of Jewish visitors. B'Av is the destruction of his two ancient temples that once stood on this site.
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The disputed area is a holy site for Muslims.Unofficially, Jews are allowed to visit the site, but not to pray there. An increasing number of Jewish visitors are giving and being escorted by police, exacerbating long-standing Palestinian fears that Israel plans to annex the site.
The Israeli offensive follows a week of tension sparked by the arrest last Monday of Islamic Jihad chief Bassem al-Saadi in the occupied West Bank. Islamic Jihad did not fire rockets after Saadi's arrest, but Israel claims the group is seeking retribution.
The Gaza Strip suffered a civil war last May. It has remained relatively quiet since, killing 256 people in Gaza and 14 in Israel, marking the fifth time in four years that Israel has died after the short-lived coalition that ousted longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed. A new battle has begun as preparations are underway for the election of
