A ceasefire came into effect on Saturday evening between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after five days of escalating violence that left 35 dead. Egypt had mediated the ceasefire that came into effect at 9:00 p.m., as the AFP news agency learned from the Egyptian and Palestinian sides. A short time after it came into force, peace actually returned to the area in the evening.
In the first half hour before the cease-fire came into effect, dozens of rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, AFP journalists and eyewitnesses observed. The Israeli air defense mostly intercepted the projectiles, the Israeli side continued to fly airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. Both sides fired at each other throughout Saturday.
A few rockets were fired after 9:00 p.m., followed by Israeli attacks, but calm gradually returned and the people of Gaza took to the streets for the first time in several days. According to the Israeli army, after 10 p.m. two more rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip without anyone being harmed.
Israel’s National Security Advisor Tsachi Hanegbi “thanked Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi” and expressed Israel’s appreciation for Egypt’s “vigorous efforts,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
“Israel’s response to the Egyptian initiative” means that “calm is the answer to calm,” Hanegbi explained. But if Israel is attacked and threatened, it will do whatever it takes to defend itself.
The most recent violence between the two parties to the conflict was the deadliest since August 2022. Since Tuesday alone, 35 people have been killed – 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
Violence between Israel and the Palestinians flared up again on Tuesday after three senior members of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
The situation in the region has become extremely tense since the death of a senior Islamic Jihad official in Israeli custody. The 45-year-old prisoner Chader Adnan died in early May after a month-long hunger strike. Islamic Jihad, which has close ties to Iran, has a strong presence in the Gaza Strip. The group, classified by Israel, the EU and the US as a terrorist organization, has repeatedly used the Palestinian territory for rocket attacks on Israel.
A representative of Islamic Jihad, who was in Cairo at the negotiations, said: “We thank Egypt for its efforts.” Mohammad al-Hindi added that the agreement between the conflicting parties also includes a pledge from Israel to no longer target fighters take.
US praises Egypt’s role as mediator
The US welcomed the ceasefire. “US officials have been working closely with regional partners,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Saturday, referring to Egypt’s role as a mediator. The aim was to bring the fighting to an end and “prevent further loss of life,” it said.
Earlier, Israel and Palestinians from the Gaza Strip had fired at each other massively. According to Israeli information, a Palestinian worker was hit by a rocket from the Gaza Strip in a rural area near Shokeda in the afternoon and later died. The number of deaths on the Palestinian side since Tuesday has risen to 34, including six leaders of Islamic Jihad. On the Israeli side, an old woman was killed in the center of the country on Thursday.
According to the Israeli army, 371 “terrorist targets” have been hit since Tuesday and more than 1,230 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, over 370 of which have been intercepted by air defenses. (AFP)
