The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has confirmed an agreement with Israel on a cease-fire in Gaza, which will begin on Sunday evening. This follows Israel’s weekend shelling of Palestinian targets, which triggered longer-range rocket attacks on Israeli cities. According to an Egyptian security source, Israel has accepted the idea, and a Palestinian official familiar with Egyptian operations has stated that the cease-fire will begin at 20:00. (1700 GMT).
Speaking representatives for both Israel and the group fighting it in Gaza since the fighting began on Friday would only confirm that they were in contact with Cairo. The flare-up has alarmed foreign powers because it reminds them of the buildup of previous battles in Gaza. It has, however, remained mostly in check since Hamas, the Gaza Strip’s ruling Islamist organisation and a more potent force than the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, has so far refrained from entering.
According to Gaza officials, 31 Palestinians have been killed so far, with at least one-third of them being civilians. Many areas of southern Israel have been paralysed by the missiles, forcing residents of Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, and other cities to flee. As stated by an Egyptian security source, the proposed ceasefire would begin at 2100 GMT.
On Sunday morning, Islamic Jihad expanded its range to fire toward Jerusalem in retaliation for Israel’s overnight execution of its southern Gaza commander—the second such senior officer it has killed in the fighting. The attack occurred during a fast commemorating the destruction of two ancient Jerusalem temples. The rockets were shot down just west of the city by Israel’s Iron Dome interceptor, which the army estimated had a 97% success rate.
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