A truce between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza is set to go into effect Sunday night after an agreement was reached with the help of Egyptian mediators. extremist group said.
The deal raised hopes that it would end his most severe flare-up on the Gaza border in more than a year.
"We appreciate Egypt's efforts to end Israeli attacks on our people," said Tarek Selmi, spokesman for Islamic Jihad.
Clashes first erupted on Friday between Israel and the Islamic Jihad, factions fighting in Gaza.
Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip and a more powerful force than Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, has intervened so far, despite worrying world powers.
Gaza officials said 31 Palestinians had been killed so far, at least a third of them civilians.
Israel said its Iron Dome defense system successfully intercepted 97% of rocket attacks against its city after the weekend. - Palestinian forces attacked targets in Palestine for a long time, killing 31 people.
Israeli forces said militants in Gaza fired about 580 rockets at Israel, many of which were intercepted by air defense systems, two of which were directed at Jerusalem. said.
Rockets have paralyzed much of southern Israel, sending residents of cities such as Tel Aviv and Ashkelon to shelters.
On Sunday morning, Islamic Jihad opened fire on its range toward Jerusalem in what it described as retaliation for Israel's overnight killing of a commander in southern Gaza.
"The blood of martyrs is not wasted," Islamic Jihad said in a statement.
Israel launched a so-called preemptive strike on Friday in what is believed to be an Islamic Jihad attack aimed at reprisal for the arrest of the leader of a group in the occupied West Bank.
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck 11 Islamic Jihad rocket launch sites across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, as arrests against the group continue to be cleared.
According to Israeli security minister Gideon Sahl, hundreds of rockets fired by Islamic Jihad in response were the reason for the continuation of the operation.
"As long as Islamic Jihad wants to prolong this operation, they will regret it," he told Israeli army radio.
Additional Reports by Agencies
