CIVILIANS VENTURE OUT OF HOMES AS ISRAEL-GAZA CEASEFIRE HOLDS
▶ Truce that began on Saturday has been confirmed by both sides in step towards ending latest violence
A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militants took effect on Saturday after five days of intense cross-border exchanges.
The conflict has claimed the lives of at least 33 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and two Israelis.
The truce began at 10pm local time (11pm UAE).
In the 30 minutes leading up to that time, numerous rockets were launched from Gaza towards Israel, witnesses said.
Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s air defence system. More rockets were fired after 10pm before the situation calmed.
After days of deserted streets, hundreds of people in Gaza began to venture outside.
Two rockets were launched from Gaza after 11pm local time, although the Israeli army said there were no casualties.
The truce, the result of Egypt’s mediation, has been agreed to by all involved, an Egyptian security official told AFP.
The ceasefire agreement has been confirmed by both Palestinian and Israeli government sources.
The Israeli government thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for his role in brokering the truce.
Mohamad Al Hindi, an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, announced the ceasefire.
“This agreement has been reached thanks to continuous Egyptian effort,” Mr Al Hindi said. “We appreciate this effort.”
Washington welcomed the ceasefire. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre praise the roles of Mr El Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim.
She said the US had worked “closely with regional partners” to help establish the break in hostilities.
Despite the agreement, tension remains high.
On Saturday, a Palestinian labourer was killed by
shrapnel from a rocket attack in Israel, and another was seriously wounded.
In Gaza, Israeli air strikes have killed at least 33, including 14 civilians, and injured more than 147, Palestinian health officials have said.
Adding to the volatile situation, the Israeli military on Saturday launched a raid on the Balata refugee camp near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, killing two Palestinians.
They died when Israeli forces opened fire on a group of gunmen who were shooting at them, the military said. In a separate incident near Jenin,
Israeli police shot dead a suspected Palestinian assailant.
According to AP, the Israeli military targeted a flat belonging to Islamic Jihad commander Mohammed Abu Al Atta.
Islamic Jihad responded by launching barrages towards southern Israel, prompting hundreds to evacuate near the border.
The flat harboured militants who had planned attacks and manufactured improvised explosive devices, the Israeli military said.
Several Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza were hit on Friday night, including rocket and mortar launching sites and two command centres, the military said on Twitter.
The social media posts were accompanied by grainy black-and-white footage showing explosions.
Six Islamic Jihad commanders have been confirmed killed since Tuesday, when Israeli forces launched a campaign against the group, accusing it of planning attacks.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the largest armed faction in Gaza after the ruling Hamas group, fired about 1,000 rockets, some deep into Israel.
One woman was killed on Thursday when an apartment was struck by a rocket in a Tel Aviv suburb.
The exchange of fire across the Israel-Gaza border extends more than a year of resurgent violence that has killed more than 140 Palestinians and at least 19 Israelis and foreigners since January.
Israeli forces have launched repeated raids against suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank.