2023-05-14 03:22:46
image source, Reuters
Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday.
A ceasefire to end five days of fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militants in Gaza has raised hopes in the troubled Middle East region.
The truce got off to a shaky start, as both sides continued to shoot for two hours after the deal began on Saturday night.
At least 33 Palestinians died since Tuesday in Gazawhere Israel claims to have attacked PIJ targets.
By firing rockets into Israel, los Palestinians they killed to two peoplean Israeli and a Palestinian who worked in the country.
The mediation efforts were spearheaded by Egypt, which urged both parties to adhere to the agreement on alto athe fire.
Palestinian rocket barrages sounded warning sirens in southern Israel near Gaza and the suburbs of Tel Aviv just before the truce came into force at 10:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT) on Saturday.
Minutes after the truce reportedly began, Palestinian militants fired more rockets at communities in southern Israel and the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on what it said were two PIJ rocket launchers in Gaza.
More rocket fire around 11:00 p.m. prompted another round of airstrikes.
image source, Reuters
More than 1,200 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza towards Israel in these five days.
Despite the fighting, the office of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamininn Netanyahuissued a statement confirming that a ceasefire had been agreed and thanking Egypt for its “intense efforts” to secure it.
Furthermore, he said that Israel had made it clear that its acceptance meant that “quiet will be received with ease, and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do whatever is necessary to defend itself.”
PIJ also confirmed the ceasefire. “We will abide by it as long as the occupation [Israel] comply with it,” a spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
According to a text from Egyptian intelligence seen by the BBC, Palestinian militants and Israel agreed to stop actions targeting civilians and others.
Yolande Knell, a BBC journalist in Jerusalem, said this form of wording appears to cover both the recent heavy rocket fire from Gaza and Israel’s controversial policy of selectively killing militant leaders.
Israel began its military operation against Gaza before dawn on Tuesday, killing three PIJ leaders in their homes, as well as at least 10 civilians, including relatives and neighbors of the men.
PIJ fighters then fired volleys of rockets into southern and central Israel, which they said were intended to avenge the dead.
At least 1,234 rockets and mortars were fired from Gaza in total, of which 976 crossed into Israeli territory, according to the Israeli army. Most were intercepted or fell in open areas, but some hit houses and other buildings.
A woman was killed when a rocket hit an apartment building in the city of Rehovot near Tel Aviv on Thursday, while a Gaza worker was killed when he was hit by shrapnel from a rocket in a construction zone in the southern region. Sdot Negev, in Israeli territory.
The army reported that 221 of the rockets from Gaza missed, killing four people there, including three children. Islamic Jihad denied the fact.
Israel has carried out airstrikes against 371 PIJ targets in Gaza, killing three other leaders and destroying what it said were the group’s rocket launch sites and command centers.
About half of the 33 people killed in Gaza were civilians, including seven children and four women, according to local health officials.
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