Tel Aviv [Israel], May 14 (ANI): Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad agreed to a ceasefire that was slated to go into effect at 10 pm on Saturday after nearly five days of fighting, a diplomat familiar with the negotiations brokered by Egypt told The Times of Israel. Earlier, Egypt, which brokered the ceasefire, called on all sides to adhere to the agreement, Egypt’s al-Qahera News television channel reported.

The fighting resulted in the death of 33 Palestinians, including at least 13 civilians. Two people in Israel were killed by rocket fire. The ceasefire was due to go into force at 10 p.m., but incoming rocket sirens continued to sound in southern Israel, leading the Israel Defense Forces to launch retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip that the military said targeted two underground rocket launchers belonging to Islamic Jihad, reported The Times of Israel. “The resistance is emerging from this conflict united and resolute… [We] caution the enemy against returning to the policy of assassinations. We are ready with a firm finger on the trigger… and if [it] returns [to fighting], we will too,” said the so-called “Joint Room” of Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, which includes both Islamic Jihad and Gaza-ruling Hamas.

Meanwhile, senior Islamic Jihad official Mohamad al-Hindi also confirmed the 10 pm ceasefire to the Al Kahera Wal Nas channel. “Now, this agreement has been reached thanks to continuous Egyptian effort. We appreciate this effort.” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi later confirmed that Israel agreed to an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire while warning the military will respond to any further attacks, reported The Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s office put out a statement thanking Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi for his efforts to restore calm. Egypt frequently acts as a broker between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. The statement quoted Netanyahu’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, as saying that “quiet would be answered with quiet” but that Israel would respond to further threats with “whatever needs to be done.”

Earlier Saturday night, a senior Egyptian official familiar with the negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad told The Times of Israel that Israel would not sign a ceasefire agreement that includes any conditions beyond the IDF holding its fire, reported The Times of Israel. While the calm brought a sense of relief to Gaza’s more than 2 million people and hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had been confined to bomb shelters in recent days, the agreement did nothing to address the underlying issues that have fuelled numerous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip. (ANI)

Tense calm appears to hold after ceasefire announced between Israel, Palestine

Tel Aviv [Israel], May 14 (ANI): A tense ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza appeared to hold Sunday morning following sporadic rocket assaults from the Gaza Strip late Saturday night and retaliatory Israel Defence Forces (IDF) airstrikes after the 10 pm ceasefire went into effect, reported The Times of Israel. The five days of intensive warfare saw over 1,200 rockets fired towards Israel as the Israeli military responded by targeting Islamic Jihad militants, command centres, rocket launchers, and capabilities in the Palestinian enclave, read a report published in The Times of Israel.

Late on Saturday, the IDF carried out retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip that it claimed were directed at two underground Islamic Jihad rocket launchers as a result of missile alarms that had been heard in southern and central Israel.

The Home Front Command advised people living close to the enclave to spend the night near bomb shelters and declared that restrictions on gatherings and movements for people living within 40 km of Gaza will be lifted at noon on Sunday, as per The Times of Israel.

Following military evaluations, roads close to the border that had been closed due to worries of anti-tank guided missile assaults were reopened at 6 am on Sunday. Additionally, restrictions on people living more than 40 kilometres from Gaza have lifted at the same time that Home Front Command regulations required people living nearby to close their schools, their places of employment, and their outdoor gatherings to no more than 10 people. There was a limit of 100 people for meetings indoors.
Additionally, as long as there is a bomb-safe space that students and staff can get to in time, special education institutions are allowed to function in communities close to Gaza.

The announcement might be a precaution, knowing that Gazan terrorist organisations have violated cease-fires in the past. In the 2014 Gaza War, just after a truce was meant to have taken effect, IDF officer Hadar Goldin was killed by Hamas and his body was hauled into a tunnel.

The Biden administration has asked Israel to change the route of the march in the last two years so that it passes through the Jaffa Gate in the Old City rather than the Damascus Gate, avoiding the Muslim Quarter, which is predominantly populated by Palestinians. The hardline government was not likely to reroute the march, a senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel. (ANI)

Israeli military evacuates thousands of Gaza-area residents

Tel Aviv [Israel], May 14 (ANI/TPS): Thousands of Israelis living near Gaza have been evacuated since Tuesday’s targeted killings of three top Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Strip. Anticipating a barrage of Palestinian rocket fire, which began on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the evacuation plan, called “Gust of Wind,” in anticipation of retaliatory rocket fire from terrorist factions in Gaza.

Evacuees are being bused to hotels, hostels and guest houses throughout Israel, where they will be able to stay for three days, with the possibility of an extension depending on the security situation.

Many other Gaza-area residents have temporarily relocated to other parts of the country on their own initiative. “The program is operated by the local authorities and allows every resident of the localities near the Gaza border to go on a respite with the aid of the state in guesthouses, specified in advance by the authorities,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Education Ministry on Wednesday announced that no classes would be held in communities within 45 km. (25 miles) of the Gaza Strip. The directive affects about 300,000 students in 35 local authorities. According to the instructions of the IDF Home Front Command, public gatherings in these areas near the Gaza Strip will remain limited to 10 people in an open area and up to 100 people in a building. Public bomb shelters were opened in Tel Aviv as well as Givatayim, Ramat Gan and other municipalities. (ANI/TPS)