Gaza ceasefire takes effect after five days of deadly fighting; US welcomes move

The White House has welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza-based militants. It has praised the Egyptian government for the deal.

“US officials worked closely with regional partners to achieve this resolution to the hostilities to prevent further loss of life and restore calm for both Israelis and Palestinians,” White House press spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

A ceasefire took effect in and around the Gaza Strip on Saturday after five days of cross-border exchanges that have killed at least 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.

The truce was scheduled to start at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT), Egyptian and Palestinian sources said.

But in the final 30 minutes running up to  the deadline, dozens of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel, prompting renewed air strikes, AFP correspondents in the territory said.

Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defences.

A few more rockets were fired after 1900 GMT, followed by fresh Israeli strikes, before things appeared to calm down.

Hundreds of people then began to emerge into Gaza’s streets, which had been empty for days.

Two rockets were fired from Gaza after 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) with no victims, the Israeli army said.

Egypt brokered the latest ceasefire proposal, saying it had secured agreement from both Israel and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. 

“Israel’s National Security Adviser Tsahi Hanegbi… thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and expressed the State of Israel’s appreciation for Egypt’s vigorous efforts to bring about a ceasefire,” a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office said.

Israel’s response to the Egyptian initiative means “quiet will be answered by quiet, and if Israel is attacked or threatened it will continue to do everything it needs to do in order to defend itself”, he said.

A Palestinian source confirmed Islamic Jihad’s agreement.

“We want to thank Egypt for its efforts,” Islamic Jihad political department official Mohammad al-Hindi told AFP. He has been in Cairo since the fighting erupted on Tuesday.

(With inputs from AFP)

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