Tel Aviv [Israel]: Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad agreed to a ceasefire that was slated to go into effect at 10 pm on Saturday after nearly five days of fighting, a diplomat familiar with the negotiations brokered by Egypt told The Times of Israel.
Earlier, Egypt, which brokered the ceasefire, called on all sides to adhere to the agreement, Egypt’s al-Qahera News television channel reported. The fighting resulted in the death of 33 Palestinians, including at least 13 civilians. Two people in Israel were killed by rocket fire.
The ceasefire was due to go into force at 10 p.m., but incoming rocket sirens continued to sound in southern Israel, leading the Israel Defense Forces to launch retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip that the military said targeted two underground rocket launchers belonging to Islamic Jihad, reported The Times of Israel.
“The resistance is emerging from this conflict united and resolute… [We] caution the enemy against returning to the policy of assassinations. We are ready with a firm finger on the trigger… and if [it] returns [to fighting], we will too,” said the so-called “Joint Room” of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, which includes both Islamic Jihad and Gaza-ruling Hamas.
Meanwhile, senior Islamic Jihad official Mohamad al-Hindi also confirmed the 10 pm ceasefire to the Al Kahera Wal Nas channel. “Now, this agreement has been reached thanks to continuous Egyptian effort. We appreciate this effort.”
National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi later confirmed that Israel agreed to an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire while warning the military will respond to any further attacks, reported The Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office put out a statement thanking Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi for his efforts to restore calm. Egypt frequently acts as a broker between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
The statement quoted Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, as saying that “quiet would be answered with quiet” but that Israel would respond to further threats with “whatever needs to be done.”
Earlier Saturday night, a senior Egyptian official familiar with the negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad told The Times of Israel that Israel would not sign a ceasefire agreement that includes any conditions beyond the IDF holding its fire, reported The Times of Israel.
While the calm brought a sense of relief to Gaza’s more than 2 million people and hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had been confined to bomb shelters in recent days, the agreement did nothing to address the underlying issues that have fuelled numerous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.
