Before the ceasefire was announced, the clashes had escalated more and more.
(Photo: Reuters)
Cairo/Jerusalem/Gaza After days of heavy fighting, Israel and militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have agreed on a ceasefire. This came into force on Sunday evening at 11:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. CEST), as Israel and the Islamic Jihad group involved on the Palestinian side announced in separate statements. Egypt brokered the armistice.
Israel had been using airstrikes against the organization in the Gaza Strip since Friday, and the militant Palestinians then fired more than 900 rockets at Israel. Rocket attacks on Israeli towns continued until shortly before the ceasefire. In the evening, the alarm sirens also sounded in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv. The Israeli army also continued its attacks in the Gaza Strip until the end.
In the Gaza Strip, the number of victims has increased to 44 dead and 360 injured since Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Sunday evening.
In announcing the ceasefire, Israel and Islamic Jihad thanked neighboring Egypt for mediating in the conflict. However, the jihad insists on its right to “react to any Israeli aggression,” the Palestinian organization said. Israel also stressed that it would react harshly in the event of violations.
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A high-ranking Egyptian delegation arrived in Gaza in the evening to negotiate details of the ceasefire. The German press agency learned this from security circles. The agreement is said to include the release of two Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad. His arrest in the West Bank last Monday preceded the latest escalation.
Israeli media, on the other hand, reported that Israel had not accepted any terms for the ceasefire. The principle of “calm in return for calm” should prevail. Last year, Egypt also mediated a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist Hamas after an eleven-day war.
The Israeli military launched the “Dawn” military operation with airstrikes against Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip on Friday. The group, which is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US. Since then, militant Palestinians have fired more than 900 rockets at Israeli towns, according to the military. 160 of them fell in the Gaza Strip itself.
Israel’s air force killed two jihadi military chiefs during the military action. According to the information, 15 children and four women were among the dead in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians blamed Israel for it. Israel’s army stressed that misguided jihad rockets had caused civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. It was the heaviest clash in over a year.
Alarm sirens near Jerusalem
An escalation also threatened in Jerusalem. There, Jews broke long-established regulations and worshiped on the grounds of Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Jewish shrines once stood. Videos circulating on the internet showed the police stepping in to stop the believers. Palestinians protested against the Jewish prayers on mosque grounds. The mosque sits atop one of the most controversial holy sites in the Middle East. The Jews refer to it as the Temple Mount. It is the third holiest site for Muslims after Mecca and Medina. Only Muslim services are allowed on the mosque grounds, Jews are not allowed to pray there. Some did it anyway to commemorate Tisha B’Aw, the day of mourning for ancient temples. The two on the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque were already destroyed in ancient times.
The Foreign Office in Berlin was concerned about the development. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the rocket attacks on Israeli towns and cities,” a spokeswoman said, calling for an immediate end. “Israel, like any other state, can invoke the right to self-defense. Civilians must never be the target of attacks. It is now important to prevent further escalation and to maintain the greatest possible restraint and the proportionality required under international law.”
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