Jerusalem/Gaza (CNN)Ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad extremist groupGazaheld on Monday after dozens of Palestinians were killed in hostilities over the weekend.
The ceasefire announced by both sides on Sunday night came about 50 hours after the escalation began, when Israel launched what it called a preemptive strike against targets of the Islamic Jihad group in Gaza. was broken
At least 44 Palestinians died in violence, including 15 children and some armed groups, according to Palestinian officials.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office thanked Egypt for its mediation efforts, but warned that "the state of Israel reserves the right to respond strongly" if the ceasefire is broken.
24}The terms of the contract were not immediately published. However, Egypt's official state news agency said in a move to call for a truce, Cairo confirmed the release of Islamic jihadists captured by Israel six days ago, and confirmed Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli prisons. reportedly working to have him transferred to to the hospital for treatment.
In a statement issued by the State Department on Monday, Secretary of State Anthony Brinken welcomed the ceasefire.
"This agreement will bring a welcome reprieve to the Israeli and Palestinian civilian population, allowing vital fuel and other supplies to reach Gaza," the statement said.
“The United States remains committed to its unwavering commitment to Israel's security and will continue to engage fully in promoting equanimity. , improving the quality of life in Israel: the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Fuel supplies began running out of fuel stocks in Gaza on Monday after running out of fuel stocks on Saturday amid a weekend flare-up. Re-entered Gaza from Israel to resupply the district's only power plant. This shortage has resulted in a significant reduction in power supply across the region.
Israel and Egypt have closed the Gaza Strip since her 2007, restricting access to it by land, air and sea, severely restricting the movement of people and the flow of goods. restricted.
About 30 tankers crossed from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza power plant on Monday morning, a representative of the carrier told his AFP.
Mohammed Thabet of Gazan Power Generating Company told CNN that by the end of Monday the power plant will have enough diesel to restart three of its four gas turbines. said he expects to arrive at the scene.
Israel says Islamic Jihad has dealt a "grave blow"
It dates back decades with an Israeli operation that took out some of the senior leaders of the extremist group it claimed to have been "beaten" and set up.
His Khaled Mansour, leader of the Islamic Jihad Operation in southern Gaza, was killed Saturday in an airstrike on a building in Rafah near the Egyptian border. Israel said Mansur was responsible for numerous terrorist attacks against Israelis.
He was the second Islamic Jihad commander to be killed in an Israeli operation, dubbed "Breaking Dawn." An airstrike killed his Tayseer Al-Jabari, head of the militant group's operations in northern Gaza, in one of his opening salvos of the Israeli campaign on Friday afternoon.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday that the operation had "restored deterrence."
"All our goals have been achieved. The entire Islamic Jihad High Command in Gaza was successfully targeted within three days of him." He said.
"Anyone who tries to harm us will pay with his life," he declared.
Beyond threats, Lapid also hinted at incentives that he believes the government could play a role in preventing future escalation.
“I would like to speak directly to the people of Gaza, but there is another way. How do we provide jobs, livelihoods and a life of dignity for those who want to live peacefully alongside us?"
According to the latest Israeli statistics, Islamic Jihad, the smaller of his two major extremist groups in Gaza, launched a campaign Friday, mainly against Israeli communities near Gaza. Since then, about 1,175 rockets have been fired towards Israel. The group also launched rockets towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
About 185 rockets have landed inside Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday. An Israeli Defense Forces spokesman said Monday that the Iron Dome air defense system deployed against a fire assessed as a threat to people and buildings had intercepted a rocket fired in Jerusalem with a 96% success rate. said it was operating at a rate.
Israeli diplomatic officials appear to acknowledge that Israeli military operations may have contributed not only to the deaths of militants, but also to some civilian deaths. An initial assessment said that "most" civilian casualties were the result of erroneous rocket launches from Islamic Jihad. Civilian casualties have always been tragic, officials said.
There are conflicting claims about responsibility for some of the fatalities. His one incident on Saturday included his four children among the seven killed in an explosion in Jabariyah, north of Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike, but Israel denied the claim, blaming an accidental rocket launch. The Israeli Defense Forces have released a video showing an Islamic Jihad rocket that suddenly lost power and fell over the city.
The European Union on Monday welcomed a ceasefire between Israel and called for an investigation into Palestinian casualties in Gaza.
“The EU regrets the loss of civilian lives, including many children and women who have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip over the past few days. We demand a timely and thorough investigation into the victims," the EU said in a statement.
The presidency of the Palestinian Authority, which is based in the West Bank and has very limited influence over events in Gaza, has strongly condemned the Israeli military operation and has issued a statement to the United Nations Security Council. later called for a strong response when holding a special meeting. Discuss escalation.
Israeli officials have also cited Hamas as evidence of the Israeli government's policy of taking steps to improve Gaza's economic situation, for example, by increasing the number of entry permits for workers. saw the decision not to participate in the battle. Israel. The official stressed that Hamas "is an enemy, not a partner, but there is cooperation that can be done, mainly through Egypt, to improve the situation in Gaza."
One of the UN's most pressing humanitarian priorities is restoring fuel supplies to Gaza, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), he told CNN. The shutdown of Gaza's power plants over the weekend has severely reduced power supplies across the Gaza Strip.
Two water treatment plants and nine pumping stations have been forced to close as a result of power shortages, he said, OCHA. This means that 130,000 cubic meters of dirty water flowed directly into the Mediterranean Sea.
