The Israeli-Palestinian extremist group Islamic Jihad reportedly took to the Gaza Strip after three days of cross-border fighting sparked by a surprise Israeli airstrike. agreed to a ceasefire.
Egyptian officials, who often arbitrate between Israeli and Gaza armed groups, said Reuters and Al Jazeera said the ceasefire would take place at 8:00 pm (6:00 pm BST) or 9:00 pm (7:00 pm BST). ), it was reported to have entered into force on Sunday night.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military and Islamic Jihad declined to comment on the report, saying only that it was in contact with Cairo.
A reported agreement erupted in territory blocked Friday by Israel's "preemptive" operation Breaking Dawn, which said it had thwarted a suspected planned rocket attack by Islamic Jihad in Palestine.
A total of 31 Palestinians, including six children and members of Islamic Jihad, were killed in the bombing campaign and about 250 wounded. , 13 Israelis are being treated in hospitals. He suffered minor injuries as hundreds of retaliatory rockets were fired across the Gaza border into the south of the country.
Israel said several children were killed by stray rockets fired by Islamic Jihad in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Saturday. 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 Israeli 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 full-scale 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. However, all sides recognize that the risk of miscalculation and escalation increases over time.
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. Already reeling from unexpected spasms of violence following four wars and several other battles in a year.
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-Aidi, 37, used his hose to fill water tanks in the scorching heat on Sunday afternoon, leaving his home unattended since hostilities erupted on Friday. said there was no water. Gaza's only power plant was forced to close due to fuel shortages 12 hours after him, and local health officials warned that if fuel is not available within the next 72 hours, ambulances, operating rooms and intensive care units will continue to operate. warned that the service would be forced to stop.
"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 it's already hurting badly." Tensions also rose in the West Bank below. A large number of Jewish visitors entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex commemorating Tisha. B'Av is the destruction of his two ancient temples that once stood on this site.
