Hamas officials in Gaza said they have agreed to a ceasefire with Israel.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Hamasrulerssaidwednesdaythey have agreed to a cease-fire with Israel to end the largest flare-up of violence between the two sides since a 2014 war.

Khalil al-hayya, a senior Hamas official,saidegyptianmediators intervened.

Israeli Cabinet minister Arieh Deritoldisrael’sarmyradiothathe expected calm to be restored.

“If it will be quiet, we will respond with quiet. We’ve given Hamas a chance to prove that we can return to routine … If they release the reins there will be a very painful strike,” he said.

The Israeli military struck dozens of militant sites in Gaza overnight as rocket fire continued toward southern Israeli communities into early Wednesday morning.

The military said it hit drone storage facilities, military compounds, and rocket and munition workshops across the Gaza Strip.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel gave Palestinian militant groups in Gaza “the strongest blow dealt to them in years” and warned against renewed rocket fire.

“When they try us, they pay immediately. And if they continue to try us, they will pay a lot more,” Netanyahu said at a ceremony in Tel Aviv.

But neither Israel nor the Palestinian factions in Gaza went full bore in their attacks.

With neither side appearing interested in a full-blown conflict, a tense calm appeared to be holding Wednesday as Israeli children went to school.

The border area has been tense as Palestinians have held mass protests aimed at lifting an Israeli-egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas seized power in 2007.