A ceasefire was agreed.
(Photo: AP)
Gaza, Jerusalem A ceasefire that was hoped for on Saturday evening following the recent fighting in the Middle East conflict has been delayed. Even after 10:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. CEST) there were rocket attacks by militant Palestinians on Israeli towns. At the time, a possible ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Islamic Jihad had been anticipated. A leader of the jihad had previously confirmed on Egyptian television that an agreement had been reached with Israel. However, official confirmation from Israel was still pending.
Shortly after the agreement became known in the evening, militant Palestinians fired numerous rockets at Israel. Warning sirens were also blaring and explosions could be heard in the greater Tel Aviv area. According to paramedics, three Israelis were injured on the way to shelters. In response, Israel’s air force again attacked targets in the coastal strip.
From 9:00 p.m. CET, the weapons in the fight between Israel and the extremist Palestinian group Islamic Jihad should be silent, Palestinian representatives said on Saturday. Egypt, which brokered the ceasefire, called on both sides to honor the deal.
“In light of the agreement between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, Egypt announces that a ceasefire has been reached between the Palestinian and Israeli sides,” read the agreement, seen by Reuters. There was initially no confirmation from the Israeli government.
As recently as Saturday morning, Israel had ruled out an early ceasefire. “We are not holding ceasefire talks,” said national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi. Israel’s top priority is fighting the jihadists. Islamic Jihad announced it would continue to fire rockets. “The Resistance has been preparing for a months-long confrontation,” it said in a statement.
Since dawn, fighters of the organization have been firing rockets. In Israel, air alerts were raised in areas close to the border. A Palestinian worker was killed by rocket splinters, according to a hospital spokesman. The Israeli military said planes hit Islamic Jihad command centers and rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip. Plumes of smoke rose as loud explosions shook the bombed areas.
Egypt has been trying to mediate a ceasefire for days. At least 33 Palestinians and two people have been killed in Israel since fighting broke out on Tuesday after Israeli forces targeted the killing of two Islamic Jihad commanders. The Palestinian side said the ceasefire negotiations were “complicated”. Israel has continued to target jihadist commanders, killing six so far. Israel accuses the Iran-backed group of planning attacks.
Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. According to Palestinian sources, there had been protests. An Israeli military spokesman said gunmen exchanged fire with the armed forces. In another case, a Palestinian who, according to the Israeli police, ran towards the officers with a knife, was shot dead.
According to the Israeli military, they have no indication that the Islamist Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has also fired rockets. Islamic Jihad, the largest armed group in Gaza after Hamas, has so far fired over 1,000 rockets.
Like Hamas, Islamic Jihad rejects coexistence with Israel and wants the destruction of the Jewish state. In turn, leading ministers of the religious-nationalist Israeli government reject the establishment of a Palestinian state and call for the expansion of Israel’s territory in the West Bank.
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