GAZA CITY: A ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian activists in Gaza took hold on Thursday after two days of fighting triggered by an Israeli strike on an commander, with 34 Palestinians killed in exchanges of fire.
Both Palestinian group and Israel’s military confirmed the ceasefire early on Thursday brokered by Egyptian and UN officials — the usual mediators between Gaza and Israel.
Five rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza after the ceasefire came into effect and air defences intercepted two of them, the army said, but the incident did not appear likely to set off another severe round of fighting.
“#Egypt and the #UN worked hard to prevent the most dangerous escalation in and around #Gaza from leading to #war,” tweeted Nickolay Mladenov, UN envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, who travelled to Cairo for the talks.
“The coming hours and days will be critical. ALL must show maximum restraint and do their part to prevent bloodshed.”
The agreement, which entered into force at 5:30 am, came after the death toll from Israeli air strikes rose to 34 since Tuesday.
Palestinian officials said eight members of the same family had been killed in an Israeli strike overnight, including five children.
Israel’s military said the man killed in the strike in Deir al Balah in the central Gaza Strip was rocket unit commander.
Relatives, neighbours and a spokesman disputed that, with some saying he had been a Palestinian Authority military police officer.
“This is a war crime. You are killing innocent children, sleeping at home,” neighbour Adan Abu Abdallah said.
Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said: “He was a commander and he, like many others, have the tactic of hiding ammunition and military infrastructure in their own residence.” — AFP
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